TUCSON – Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Mexican national attempting to smuggle almost 35 pounds of methamphetamine through the Port of Nogales, Saturday.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a 33-year-old male from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of his Pontiac sedan. In the ensuing vehicle search, officers found multiple packages of meth within the vehicle frame valued at $105,000.
CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and turned the subject 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 the 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.
