An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Meth Smugglers Arrested by Port of San Luis CBP officers

Meth Smugglers Arrested by Port of San Luis CBP officers

Release Date
Tue, 02/05/2019

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two Mexican nationals over the weekend in separate attempts to smuggle nearly 35 pounds of methamphetamine through the Port of San Luis.

Saturday morning, CBP officers referred the driver of a Hyundai SUV, for additional inspection as he attempted to enter the United States from Mexico. Following a canine alert, officers removed 15 packages of methamphetamine from the spare tire, which weighed almost 19 pounds and worth more than $56,000. The driver was identified as a 25-year-old Mexican man from San Luis, Rio Colorado, Mexico.

Early Sunday afternoon, officers referred a 24-year-old man for a further inspection of his Chevrolet sedan as he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent it was trained to detect coming from the vehicle’s spare tire, officers removed nearly 25 packages of meth, weighing more than 14 pounds and worth almost $43,000. The driver was identified as a Mexican national from Nogales, Sonora.

CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicles. Both subjects were arrested and 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 and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021