TUCSON, Ariz. –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended three people involved in separate failed attempts to smuggle more than 41 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin into the United States over the weekend.
heroin and meth, which were hidden
within the quarter panels of a
smuggling vehicle
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing Friday morning referred a 36-year-old Douglas, Ariz. man for further inspection of his Jeep. A CBP canine alerted officers to more than 21 pounds of methamphetamine, worth approximately $64,000 as well as almost 14 pounds of heroin, worth $238,000, in the vehicle’s quarter panels.
Friday afternoon, officers at the DeConcini Crossing referred a 49-year-old male Mexican national for secondary inspection of his Pontiac sedan when he attempted to enter the United States. During the inspection, a CBP canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect, leading officers to discover nearly five pounds of meth, worth more than $56,000, within the vehicle’s glove box.
On Sunday afternoon, officers working at the Morley Pedestrian Gate referred a 27-year-old Sahuarita, Ariz. woman for further questioning as she attempted to enter the United States. A canine alerted to the presence of drugs on her person, which led to the seizure of more than a pound of meth, valued at over $3,100.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned all three subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.