TUCSON, Ariz. — A Mexican national and a Phoenix, Arizona resident were apprehended recently during separate smuggling attempts at the Port of Nogales involving more than 167 pounds of marijuana and more than 42 pounds of methamphetamine.
CBP officers at the DeConcini crossing located more than 167 pounds of marijuana within the floor of a truck.
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Jesus Guillermo Rascon-Duarte, 26, of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of his Ford truck on Dec. 1. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs within the truck’s cab floor, officers removed more than 167 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $83,500.
On Dec. 2, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred Annethe Matrecitos-Navarro, 29, a Mexican national living legally in Phoenix, for further questioning as she attempted to enter the U.S. A routine search of the woman’s Chevrolet SUV led to the discovery of 38 packages of methamphetamine inside the vehicle’s rear quarter panels. The drugs, weighing more than 42 pounds, are valued at nearly $127,000.
In both incidents, officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.