Brownsville CBP officers seize freon, 12,000 counterfeit vehicle registration stickers; driver arrested

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Brownsville Port of Entry officers this weekend seized freon and 12,000 counterfeit vehicle registration stickers during a single enforcement action.

“Our frontline CBP officers maintained their vigilance amid heavy summer travel season traffic and intercepted a unique combination of freon and counterfeit vehicle registration stickers,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry. “CBP officers enforce a variety of laws, including those that help protect the environment and they also work hand in glove with our state and local law enforcement partners when they encounter items such as counterfeit vehicle registration stickers, which would violate state law.”

The interception occurred on Saturday, July 14 when CBP officers at the Veterans International Bridge referred a 2006 Jeep Cherokee for secondary inspection. During the examination, CBP discovered boxes containing 12,000, allegedly counterfeit Texas vehicle registration stickers and 12 cannisters of freon within the vehicle.

Since January 1, 2022, Environmental Protection Agency regulations prohibit any person from importing bulk regulated hydrofluorocarbons except by expending, at the time of import, a consumption or application-specific allowance issued by the EPA. No person may sell or distribute, or offer for sale or distribution, any regulated HFC that was imported illegally. HFCs are potent greenhouse gases commonly used as refrigerants that have a global warming potential that can be hundreds to thousands of times stronger than carbon dioxide. Those who bring in canisters of such regulated HFCs without adhering to EPA regulations face a fine for failure to declare the item and the vehicle used in the furtherance of the violation may be subject to seizure.

CBP officers seized the vehicle, freon, registration stickers and turned them over to the Brownsville Police Department. Brownsville Police arrested the driver and initiated a criminal investigation.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on X at @DFOLaredo on Instagram at @dfolaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.