TUCSON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Luis arrested a 37-year-old man from San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, on Dec. 5 after finding more than 36 pounds of cocaine in his Dodge truck.
A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the truck when the driver attempted to enter the U.S. with nearly $420,000 worth of cocaine concealed within a false compartment.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and referred the subject 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.
