TUCSON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales arrested two people in separate incidents for attempting to smuggle a combined $595,000 worth of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a 44-year-old Mexican man for a secondary inspection of his Dodge pickup when he tried to enter the country. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics-detection canine helped officers find nearly 40 pounds of meth, worth approximately $115,000, in the vehicle’s spare tire.
Shortly after the first incident, officers at the same crossing referred a 36-year-old Mexican man for an additional search of his Ford SUV. Using a CBP narcotics-detection canine, officers located more than $480,000 worth of cocaine and heroin concealed in the vehicle’s spare tire compartment.
Officers arrested the drivers for narcotics smuggling and seized the vehicles and contraband. The suspects were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows for filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
