TUCSON –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales stopped an armed Mexican national from taking a stolen truck into Mexico.
Officers working outbound operations at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing yesterday afternoon referred a 23-year-old legal permanent resident alien male for further inspection of the Ford F350 truck he was driving before he could go into Mexico. A records check confirmed the truck had been stolen, leading officers to place the subject under arrest. Officers seized a 9MM handgun the subject was carrying, and further search of his belongings uncovered a loaded magazine and additional ammunition. They also found trace amounts of marijuana, crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.
Officers arrested the subject, and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Officers seized the drugs, weapon, and ammunition. The stolen truck has been turned over to the Arizona Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
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.
