Nogales CBP Officers Seize Almost $332K in Drugs

TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended four Mexican nationals during separate incidents involving attempts to smuggle approximately 180 pounds of marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.

Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini crossing early Friday referred a 25-year-old Mexican man for a secondary inspection of his Chevy SUV when he attempted to enter the United States. During the inspection, a canine’s alert led to the discovery of nearly 117 pounds of marijuana, worth in excess of $58,000.

That afternoon, DeConcini officers referred a 50-year-old Mexican man for a secondary inspection of his Ford truck. When officers searched the driver, they found drugs in his shoes and pants. In all, officers seized almost 2 pounds of heroin, valued at more than $32,000, and more than half a pound of cocaine, worth nearly $6,500.

Saturday afternoon, officers at the Mariposa crossing referred a 23-year-old Mexican man for a search of his Toyota sedan. A CBP canine alerted officers to the location of drugs throughout the vehicle, amounting to almost 54 pounds of meth worth in excess of $161,000.

A short time later, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred a 38-year-old Mexican man for a secondary inspection his GMC SUV. Once again, a canine alerted officers to drugs; this time more than 6 pounds of cocaine, valued in excess of $73,000, in the lining of the man’s luggage.

Officers arrested all four subjects for narcotics smuggling, and seized their vehicles and drugs before turning them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.