Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 14-year-old male from Nogales, Arizona, for an alleged attempt to smuggle nearly 2 pounds of heroin, worth an estimated $34,000, through the Port of Nogales on June 27.
Officers at the Morley pedestrian crossing referred the teen for further inspection as he was attempting to re-enter the United States. Officers conducting the search, aided by a CBP narcotics-detection canine, found a single package of heroin taped around the teen’s thigh.
Officers turned the suspect over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations after seizing the drugs.
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.
Nogales CBP Officers Seize More Than $603K in Drugs
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a U.S. citizen and two Mexican nationals from neighboring Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for weekend attempts to smuggle drugs through area ports in Nogales, Arizona.
On June 26, officers working at the Nogales West Mariposa crossing referred a 31-year-old Mexican national for an inspection of her Honda sedan and found nearly 10 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $113,000, with the help of a CBP narcotics-detection canine.
Officers at the same crossing June 25 referred a 24-year-old Mexican national for a secondary inspection of his Jeep SUV and discovered 26 pounds of heroin, worth nearly $450,000, and almost 3 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $34,000; again with assistance from a narcotics-detection canine.
An 18-year-old pedestrian from Tucson attempted to pass through the Morley gate on June 24 but was arrested after a CBP canine alerted officers to the man’s legs, wrapped with more than a pound of meth valued in excess of $3,000.
Officers seized both vehicles, all the discovered narcotics, and turned all three subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
