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  4. Nogales CBP Officers Seize Cash, Heroin

Nogales CBP Officers Seize Cash, Heroin

Release Date
Mon, 07/23/2012

Nogales, Ariz. - Nogales Customs and Border Protection officers seized almost 36 pounds of cocaine, nearly two pounds of heroin and more than $20,000 in cash in separate incidents Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, 20-year-old Jesus Emmanuel Jaime, a U.S. citizen, was apprehended at the Morley port of entry for attempting to smuggle almost $24,000 worth of heroin into the United States hidden under his clothes. Jaime is being held for federal prosecution.

On Saturday, officers conducting outbound inspections Saturday at the DeConcini Port referred the driver of a 2001 Lexus sedan for a secondary inspection. Claudia Montel, 41, and her 22-year-old passenger, Yesenia Rachelle Vasquez, were detained after officers found more than $20,000 in undeclared currency hidden in a box of baby diapers. The Drug Enforcement Administration responded and took charge of the case.

Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of 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.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021