TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Luis arrested four individuals for alleged separate attempts to smuggle heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine during the holiday weekend.
Officers discovered a combination of cocaine/heroin within the intake manifold of a smuggling vehicle
Officers referred Adrian Ochoa, 30, of El Golfo Santa Clara, Baja California, Mexico, for further inspection of his Mercedes sedan on Jan. 15. After a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs within the vehicle’s intake manifold, officers found more than seven pounds of cocaine, worth nearly $75,000, and nearly six pounds of heroin valued at almost $82,000.
On Jan. 16, officers referred Wendy Marisol Flores-Cortes, 20, of San Luis, Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, for additional inspection of her Volkswagen sedan. A narcotics-canine’s alert helped officers locate almost 34 pounds of meth worth nearly $101,000.
Officers referred Karely Garcia-Alvarez, 26, of Phoenix, for a secondary inspection of her Mini-Cooper on Jan. 17 and found nearly 52 pounds of meth, worth more than $155,000.
Earlier that morning, officers referred Erik Beltran, 34, of San Luis, Arizona, for a closer inspection of his Nissan sedan and located nearly 47 pounds of cocaine, worth close to $489,000.
Officers seized all drugs and vehicles, and turned the suspects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.