CBP: Young Houston women busted with $2.2M in cocaine

Friday the 13th proved to be an unlucky day for three Houston women who are accused of trying to smuggle more than two million dollars in drugs into the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $2.2 million in cocaine found within the floor of a 2001 Ford Escape.

CBP officer say the women were driving across the Gateway International Bridge on Friday when they were sent to secondary inspection.

In a news release, officers say the drug dog "Franklin" alerted them to the drugs in a man-made floor compartment in the back of the SUV.

The driver, Paloma Jisela Chun, 20, and her passengers, Eldif Deyamira Dominguez, 22, and Yesenia Alaniz, 21, all of Houston, were turned over to ICE special agents to face federal drug charges.

"A significant amount of cocaine was hidden in this vehicle; our officers used their training and knowledge gained from prior loads to detect and stop this smuggling attempt," said Michael Freeman, CBP Port Director, Brownsville.

Officers recovered 32 packages of cocaine that weighed 68 pounds.