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  4. CBP Officers at the Lukeville POE Seize Over $4 Million Worth of Drugs

CBP Officers at the Lukeville POE Seize Over $4 Million Worth of Drugs

Release Date
Thu, 04/29/2010

Lukeville, Ariz - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers (CBP) at the Lukeville port of entry have been busy in the last several days seizing cocaine and marijuana totaling $4,061,600 in street value.

On April 25, CBP officers encountered a 47-year old man driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee which contained over 110 pounds of marijuana. The man was referred to the secondary inspection after the officers became suspicious of him during the primary interview process.

In secondary the CBP officers were alerted to the gas tank area by a narcotic detector dog. A fiber optic scope was then used, and packages could be seen within the tank. The man was immediately arrested and taken into custody for the smuggling attempt.

A second seizure occurred on April 25, when a 56-year old man attempted to smuggle more than 180 pounds of marijuana in a Ford F250 truck. The man was referred to the secondary inspection area due to the officer's suspicions during the primary interview.

In secondary the CBP officers discovered packages of marijuana secreted within the auxiliary tank after a thorough inspection using the tools of technology and a narcotic detector dog. The man was immediately arrested and taken into custody.

On April 27, CBP officers seized almost 36 pounds of cocaine in a Nissan Sentra driven by a 34-year old man. The man was escorted to the secondary inspection area where the floor of his vehicle was discovered to the have the cocaine secreted. The man was immediately arrested and taken into custody.

The fourth seizure occurred on April 28, when a 54-year old woman and her passenger attempted to smuggle 70 pounds of marijuana in a Dodge Ram 1500. The women were referred to secondary due to the officer's suspicions during the primary inspection process.

In secondary the CBP officers determined the gas tank had packages of marijuana secreted. The women were immediately arrested and taken into custody.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers' primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws. While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) priority mission is to secure our borders, our people and our visitors from those that would do us harm, including terrorists and instruments of terror. CBP is also charged with the facilitation of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. In this dual role, CBP enforces rules and regulations for a variety of agencies.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021