AUGUST 12, 2015
Weekly Arizona Border Report
Drugs valued at nearly $550,000 seized in Yuma Sector
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents seized more than $550,000 in drugs during separate weekend incidents.
Friday morning, a Border Patrol canine team discovered 57.5 pounds of methamphetamine, worth in excess of $287,700, concealed in non-factory compartments of a vehicle attempting to travel through Wellton Station’s eastbound checkpoint on Interstate 8.
Sunday morning, agents arrested two of nine illegal Mexican immigrants south of Interstate 8, near mile marker 97. At the time of the encounter, members of the group had been carrying seven bundles of marijuana with a combined weight of 317.58 pounds, worth an estimated $158,790.
Sunday afternoon, an aircrew from the Office of Air and Marine’s Yuma Branch, guided Border Patrol agents to six bundles of marijuana abandoned near Sentinel, south of Interstate 8. The marijuana weighed a combined 204 pounds, valued at $102,000.
All subjects, vehicles and drugs were processed in accordance with Yuma Sector guidelines.
Douglas CBP Officers Seize $143K in Marijuana
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Pirtleville, Arizona, teen for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 285 pounds of marijuana through the Port of Douglas on August 8.
Officers arrested the 17-year-old teen male after CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to nearly 200 packages of marijuana, worth almost $143,000, throughout the vehicle.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, arrested and referred the teen to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Nogales CBP Officers Seize Weapon, Stolen Vehicle
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 19-year-old Phoenix area woman Tuesday night for allegedly attempting to smuggle a weapon and stolen vehicle into Mexico through the Port of Nogales.
Officers performing outgoing inspections at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Cecily Faith Abed, of Sun City, Arizona, for additional inspection of the KIA sedan she was driving. During the inspection, officers located a tactical rifle, four empty ammunition magazines, and a small amount of methamphetamine and heroin. Officers also learned the vehicle was reported stolen, according to Avondale Police Department records.
Officers seized the weapon, magazines, drugs and vehicle, and turned Abed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Border Patrol canine team seizes 25 pounds of meth
A Yuma Sector Border Patrol canine team discovered and seized 25 pounds of methamphetamine, worth approximately $75,000, concealed in a vehicle attempting to travel through the Highway 95 checkpoint Sunday.
The canine alerted to the drugs hidden within man-made compartments in the front and rear bumpers. Agents arrested the driver, a 21-year-old female U.S. citizen, and processed the drugs and vehicle per Yuma Sector guidelines.
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents effectively combat smuggling organizations attempting to illegally transport people and contraband through southwestern Arizona and California. Citizens can help the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.
CBP Resources Team Up to Stop Fleeing Vehicle
Office of Air and Marine and U.S. Border Patrol agents worked together early Friday morning (July 31) to stop a vehicle fleeing from a Border Patrol agent in Amado, Arizona, resulting in the arrest of two suspects with more than 143 pounds of marijuana.
Shortly before 7 a.m., a Border Patrol agent attempted to stop a vehicle near Amado but the vehicle fled and entered onto Interstate 19, heading north. Within minutes of a Border Patrol request for air support, OAM’s Tucson Air Branch had multiple aircraft above the suspect vehicle.
Aircrew tracked the vehicle and provided updates on its location as it exited the interstate onto Valencia Road, headed east, and finally stopping near the intersection of Valencia and Missiondale Road.
Border Patrol agents arrested the subjects, a United States citizen and a citizen of Mexico. Records later revealed the driver has an extensive criminal history, including possession with intent to distribute narcotics, flight from law enforcement, and human smuggling.
“This is a good example of how the concept of integration serves CBP and, more importantly, the public,” said Tucson Air Branch Director Mitch Pribble. “Working together, agents from several CBP components did a great job today.”
The seized contraband has a street value of approximately $70,000. Both subjects and the contraband will be processed per Tucson Sector guidelines.
Nogales CBP Officers Seize $1.2M in Drugs
Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Tucson man and two Mexican nationals allegedly involved in separate weekend attempts to smuggle nearly 264 pounds of cocaine and marijuana through the Mariposa crossing at the Port of Nogales.
Officers referred Jesus Abiram Orduno, 23, of Tucson, for a secondary inspection of his Ford SUV after a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to his vehicle July 31. During the inspection, officers located nearly 32 pounds of cocaine, worth in excess of $331,000, in the vehicle’s rear bumper.
On August 1, officers referred a tractor-trailer, driven by Marco Antonio Valenzuela, 49, of Sinaloa, Mexico, for further inspection of a produce shipment. A CBP narcotics-detection canine then alerted to officers to more than 73 pounds of cocaine, worth in excess of $765,000.
Later that day, officer referred Amparo Margarita Corella-Rascon, 31, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of her Toyota SUV. A service canine team then alerted to numerous locations throughout the vehicle, where officers found nearly 159 pounds of marijuana worth more than $79,000.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned the subjects 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.
