San Luis, Ariz.- Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office here, a component of CBP's Joint Field Command - Arizona, arrested four people over the weekend on drug and weapons charges. Officers seized nearly 29 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin in the incidents, as well as three assault rifles.
Officers referred a 24-year-old Yuma woman for a secondary inspection of her Ford sedan Friday when she attempted to enter the United States. A narcotics detection canine alerted to the vehicle's spare tire. After an X-ray showed packages in the tire, officers cut it open and found eight packages of heroin. The drugs, weighing more than 18 pounds, were estimated to be worth nearly $250,000. The drugs and vehicle were processed for seizure. The subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
Also on Friday, officers arrested two female Mexican nationals after finding more than six pounds of methamphetamine in their possession. The women, 63 and 20, attempted to cross into the United States with the younger woman pushing the other in a wheelchair. The women told officers they were headed to San Luis to go grocery shopping. After a narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs on the women, officers searched the subjects and discovered each woman was carrying three packages of crystal methamphetamine with a combined value exceeding $100,000. Both women were turned over to ICE HSI.
Sunday, officers conducting outbound operations referred a 24-year-old male San Luis resident for a secondary inspection of his Jeep SUV prior to entering Mexico. After a currency/firearms detection canine alerted to the vehicle, an officer lifted the hood and saw three assault rifles, two AK-47s and one SKS, lying on top of the engine. Further inspection led to the discovery of two 30-round magazines and one 40-round magazine. The man was taken into custody and the weapons were processed for seizure.
Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which 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.
CBP announced the JFC-AZ in February 2011 as an organizational realignment that brings together the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors and Air Branches, as well as the Tucson Field Office, under a unified command structure. JFC-AZ integrates CBP's border security, commercial enforcement and trade facilitation missions to more effectively meet the unique challenges faced in Arizona. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona.