TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended three U.S. citizens and a Mexican national during separate incidents Saturday involving attempts to smuggle more than $2 million worth of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
from beneath the seats of a smuggling
vehicle
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a 49-year-old Amado, Arizona man for further inspection of his Nissan sedan as he attempted to cross into the U.S. A CBP narcotics-detection canine subsequently alerted the vehicle’s rear seats where officers found more than 28 pounds of heroin, worth in excess of $490,000; more than 34 pounds of meth, worth almost $103,000; and nearly 4 pounds of cocaine, worth close to $45,000.
That evening, DeConcini officers referred a 25-year-old Phoenix man and a 25-year-old Mexican woman for a secondary inspection of his Nissan sedan. Once again, a CBP canine’s alert led to the discovery of drugs. Officers removed more than 47 pounds of meth, valued at close to $142,000, from the vehicle’s front and rear floors.
A few hours later, officers at the DeConcini crossing discovered almost $150,000 worth of cocaine and nearly $1.3 million in heroin concealed in a Chevrolet truck driven by a 19-year-old Tucson man.
Officers arrested all four subjects for narcotics smuggling and seized their vehicles, along with the drugs. The subjects were then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.