Tucson, Ariz. — A male Mexican national and a Tucson man were arrested Monday for separate attempts to smuggle a total of 41 pounds of cocaine through the Port of Nogales.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry selected a Ford truck, driven by a 36-year-old resident of Nogales, Ariz., for further inspection. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs in the truck’s side wells, officers found eight packages of cocaine in non-factory compartments. The drugs, nearly 21 pounds worth an estimated $191,000, and vehicle were processed for seizure.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry later arrested a 46-year-old Tucson man after a canine detected 20 pounds of cocaine in the firewall of a Volkswagen sedan. The drugs, worth an estimated $182,000, and vehicle were processed for seizure.
Both subjects were referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
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.