TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Luis arrested four U.S. citizens during separate weekend smuggling attempts involving more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine and marijuana.
CBP officers at the Port of San Luis seized nearly 106 pounds of marijuana that was concealed within the wheels of a smuggling vehicle
Officers referred Martin Alberto Alcantar Jr., 31, of Nogales, Arizona, for a secondary inspection of his Ford SUV on May 1. After a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle’s tires, officers removed 20 metal collars wrapped around the wheels. The collars contained nearly 106 pounds of marijuana valued at almost $53,000.
At about the same time, officers arrested Cesar Omar Patino, 21, of Yuma, after a narcotics-detection canine led them to discover 14 packages of meth, weighing nearly 67 pounds and worth almost $201,000, inside the spare tire of his Toyota tuck.
A drug smuggler used the inside of a spare tire in an attempt to conceal 67 pounds of meth from officers
On May 3, officers also took into custody Jose Tallamantes Jr., a 19-year-old resident of Somerton, and his 27-year-old passenger, Rocxana Bernal-Rosales, after a canine team alerted inspectors to eight packages of meth within the rear seats of a Jeep SUV. The meth, weighing more than 31 pounds, exceeds $93,000 in value.
Officers seized all drugs and vehicles, and referred the subjects to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.