An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Archived Content
    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. CBP Officers Arrest 3 with More Than $850K in Drugs

CBP Officers Arrest 3 with More Than $850K in Drugs

Release Date
Mon, 05/16/2016

TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers arrested three individuals from neighboring Nogales, Sonora, Mexico during separate weekend smuggling attempts at the Nogales West (Mariposa) crossing in Nogales.

A combination of meth and heroin were removed from a smuggling vehicle, after a service canine team alerted to an area behind the front seat

A combination of meth and heroin were removed from a smuggling vehicle, after a service canine team alerted to an area behind the front seat

Officers first referred a 34-year-old man for a secondary inspection of his Ford SUV on May 13. A positive CBP narcotics-detection canine led officers to almost 21 pounds of meth worth nearly $63,000.

On May 14, officers referred a 50-year-old man for an inspection of his Dodge truck. Again, with assistance from a narcotics-detection canine, officers found almost 11 pounds of meth, worth more than $32,000, and nearly 42 pounds of heroin exceeding $724,000 in value. 

Finally, on May 15, a narcotics-detection canine helped officers find more than 13 pounds of meth, worth an estimated $39,000, in a Ford sedan driven by 28-year-old woman.

Officers seized the vehicles and drugs, and turned the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021