Operation Southern Surge Nets 89 Arrests, More Than 1,600 Pounds of Drugs, 15 Guns and $360,000 in Cash at the Texas Border Since Mid-October, Breitbart Reports
Breitbart Texas says CBP and partner agencies detailed the two-week Homeland Security Task Force operation at a Laredo press conference. The biggest catch, per CBP: 1,082 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of leeks at Hidalgo.
Federal agents have put numbers on a border enforcement push in South Texas, Breitbart reports.
The totals. Breitbart's Randy Clark writes that officials announced the results of Operation Southern Surge at a press conference in Laredo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes it as a coordinated Homeland Security Task Force effort. Since Oct. 19, per CBP, it has produced 89 arrests, more than 1,600 pounds of drugs, 15 firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition and over $360,000 in cash.
The biggest seizure. CBP says a drug-sniffing dog alerted officers at the Hidalgo Port of Entry to a shipment of leeks. Inside they found 909 cylindrical packages that tested positive for methamphetamine. The packages weighed 1,082.47 pounds combined, with an estimated street value of $984,063.
The second. At the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, CBP says officers sent a vehicle to secondary inspection, where scanning technology showed an anomaly. They found 49.3 pounds of cocaine in 20 packages.
Who spoke. Officials from CBP, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas took part at the Juarez-Lincoln bridge. Laredo Field Office Director Jennifer De La O said the operation "leverages tactical intelligence and coordinated enforcement actions" against trafficking networks. HSI's Charles Kerby said the goal is to "follow the evidence" and "dismantle the organizations" behind the smuggling.
The context. Breitbart notes that CBP's Laredo Field Office ranked second to San Diego for narcotics seizures in fiscal year 2026. Clark is a retired Border Patrol division chief.
Why it matters here. Border security is one of the issues where a Fox News opinion column this week said voters still trusted Republicans more, even in a losing night. This is a government report on its own work, and the arrest and seizure counts come from the agencies.
What we could not check. We did not see the press conference or independent records. The totals and values are CBP's. Breitbart does not say how many of the 89 arrests were drug cases, how many people were charged, or how the numbers compare with earlier operations.