NOGALES, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales were busy during the weekend with attempted drug smuggling of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Four U.S. citizens and a Mexican national were apprehended in separate incidents for attempting to smuggle a combined 45-plus pounds of drugs into the United States.
Officers from the Morley pedestrian crossing referred a 30-year-old man for further questioning as he attempted to enter the U.S. on Friday. When officers searched the man, they found nearly a pound of methamphetamine worth more than $15,000.
Saturday, officers assigned to the Mariposa crossing referred a 30-year-old Phoenix woman for further inspection of her Pontiac sedan. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, officers located 17 packages of drugs under the floorboards. Three of the packages contained more than a pound of methamphetamine worth $18,400, five packages contained more than 12.5 pounds of cocaine worth more than $114,500, and nine packages contained more than 15 pounds of heroin worth more than $204,000.
Also on Saturday, officers at the DeConcini crossing arrested a 22-year-old Mesa woman with 2.3 pounds of heroin on her person worth an estimated $32,300 and a 25-year-old Mexican male transporting 12 packages of methamphetamine in his Nissan sedan after a CBP canine alerted to the presence of nearly 13 pounds of the illegal drug valued at $200,500.
Sunday, officers at DeConcini’s pedestrian lanes referred a 22-year-old Tucson woman for further questioning and discovered she possessed a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, which required removal by medical personnel. The drugs were worth nearly $3,900.
All drugs and vehicles were seized. The subjects were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.