TUCSON, Ariz. –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended a U.S. citizen involved in a failed smuggling attempt involving almost 11 pounds of heroin Tuesday.
Officers working at the Morley Pedestrian Gate referred a 52-year-old Marana, Arizona woman for further inspection. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent that it was trained to detect, resulting in the discovery of drugs that were wrapped around her midsection. The heroin weighed almost 11 pounds, an excess of $188,000.
Officers seized the drugs, and turned the arrested subject 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 for 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 supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.