TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended two Mexican nationals and two U.S. citizens allegedly involved in separate smuggling attempts this week at the Port of Nogales, resulting in the seizure of more than 101 pounds of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
After officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Manuel Gomez-Rivas, 23, of Culiacan, Sonora, Mexico, for a secondary inspection of his Ford sedan Aug. 11, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the vehicle’s front wheel wells. Officers then found more than 41 pounds of methamphetamine worth in excess of $123,000.
At approximately the same time, officers at the Mariposa crossing found more than 17 pounds of cocaine and nearly 10 pounds of meth in a Dodge truck driven by Shawn Jeannine Emmons, 53, of Benson, Arizona. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the drugs, worth approximately $210,000 combined.
On Aug. 13, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred Xavier Rabago Bolivar, 26, of Tucson, for further inspection of his Ford truck and found more than 10 pounds of meth, valued at more than $31,000. A narcotics canine alerted officers to the drugs in the rear bumper area.
Later that day, officers at the same crossing referred Luis Angel Verdugo-Robles, 32, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of his Ford sedan and discovered almost 16 pounds of meth, valued at close to $47,000, and more than seven pounds of cocaine worth almost $76,000.
CBP officers arrested all four subjects and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Officers also processed the vehicles and drugs for seizure.