Lukeville, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from Tucson's Office of Field Operations, a component of the Joint Field Command-Arizona, apprehended a 46-year-old Mexican national Saturday for attempting to smuggle more than half-a-million dollars worth of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines into the United States through a vehicle lane at the Lukeville Port.
Officers arrested the driver of a 2009 Volkswagen Bora after discovering 37 duct-taped packages of varying sizes in a non-factory compartment. The mixed narcotics had a combined weight of more than 38 pounds with an estimated value $520,790. Officers seized the drugs and vehicle. The driver was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations for prosecution.
Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the JFC-AZ in February 2011 as an organizational realignment that brings together the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors and their Air Branches, as well as the Tucson Field Office, under a unified command structure. JFC-AZ integrates CBP's border security, commercial enforcement and trade facilitation missions to more effectively meet the unique challenges faced in Arizona. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona.