Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona, arrested two women in separate incidents Oct. 13 for attempting to smuggle nearly $125,000 worth of marijuana into the U.S.
CBP officers working with a narcotics-detection canine found 216 pounds of marijuana, valued at more than $108,000, hidden throughout a Cadillac sedan driven by a 22-year-old Douglas woman.
Later, officers found 33 pounds of marijuana, worth approximately $16,500, in the gas tank of a Mercedes sedan driven by a 34-year-old Huachuca City woman.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned both subjects over to 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.
Nogales CBP canine sniffs out $220K in cocaine, meth
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 63-year-old Phoenix man Oct. 12 after finding $220,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine in his Volkswagen van during a secondary inspection at the Dennis DeConcini crossing in Nogales, Arizona.
A positive alert by a CBP narcotics-detection canine led to the discovery of nearly 12 pounds of cocaine and more than 28 pounds of meth within the vehicle’s front fenders and rear quarter panels.
Officers seized the vehicle and drugs, and transferred custody of the subject to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Tucson woman arrested at port with $48K in meth
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested a 58-year-old Tucson woman Oct. 11 for attempting to smuggle nearly 16 pounds of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $48,000.
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini crossing used a CBP narcotics-detection canine to find the drugs hidden beneath the center console of her Nissan sedan during a secondary inspection.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and turned the subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
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.
