TUCSON, AZ – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two Mexican nationals from San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, for separate attempts to smuggle a combined 90 pounds of hard drugs through the Port of San Luis earlier this week.
The largest seizure occurred Nov. 29 when officers arrested a 40-year-old man for attempting to smuggle more than 60 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin through the SENTRI lane at the Port of San Luis. A narcotics-detection canine alerted to the spare tire of a Ford truck, where the drugs were located.
After a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to a Chevrolet sedan on Nov. 27, driven by a 45-year-old woman, officers located more than 30 pounds of meth located within a compartment in the trunk.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and referred both subjects 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.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP’s mission includes keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona.
