TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a teenager in connection to a failed smuggling attempt of methamphetamine and cocaine at the Port of San Luis.
Thursday evening, CBP officers referred a 17-year-old U.S. citizen for additional inspection of his Ford truck as he attempted to enter the U.S. through the trusted traveler lane. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics detection canine to a scent it was trained to detect, which assisted officers in locating multiple packages of meth and cocaine inside the spare tire. The drugs weighed more than 60 pounds and were valued at more than $1 million.
CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle. The subject was arrested and his trusted traveler document was revoked, before he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations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.
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.