TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales arrested two U.S. citizens Thursday after finding more than 46 pounds of hard drugs during separate smuggling attempts.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a Ford Freestyle driven by a 20-year-old Nogales, Ariz. man when he attempted to enter the United States on Thursday afternoon. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted officers to the vehicle’s roof where they found and removed nearly 26 pounds of cocaine, worth $293,000.
Earlier that morning, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred a Dodge Charger driven by a 20-year-old Sahuarita, Arizona man for further inspection. A canine led officers to the vehicle’s rear quarter panels, where they removed almost 21 pounds of meth. The drugs are worth nearly $62,000.
Officers arrested both suspects for narcotics smuggling, and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. CBP officers also seized the vehicles and drugs.