United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) busted separate alleged attempts to take 395 pounds of illegal drugs into the United States.
According to CBP, attempts to smuggle cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl through Port of Nogales were detected on Friday, Dec. 6.
An 18-year-old Mexican attempting to enter the United States driving a Nissan sedan was referred for additional inspection by officers at the Mariposa Crossing on last Friday night.
A CBP trained drug-detection dog, (K-9) gave a positive alert regarding a vehicle and a search of the car ended in the discovery of almost 80 packages in the car’s floorboard. The bust was the largest heroin seizure at an Arizona port amounting to 109 pounds of heroin, valued at about $1,045,000.
In addition, nine pounds of fentanyl valued at $99,000, was also discovered and seized from the vehicle, as well as six pounds of cocaine, worth $67,000.
On the same night, a 45-year-old Mexican woman attempted to enter the United States with 70 packages inside the vehicle’s spare tire containing 76 pounds of methamphetamine, worth about $125,000.
On Sunday morning, a 46-year-old man from Sonora, Mexico entering the United States, was caught attempting to smuggle 25 packages containing 39 pounds of methamphetamine, worth almost $65,000.
Shortly after, a 41-year-old female driver along with a 46-year-old passenger, both Mexican, was stopped for an additional search, which led to the finding of 64 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at more than $105,000.
Monday morning, a 23-year-old Arizona woman was busted by K-9 assisted officers with 25 drug packages in the rear quarter panels of her vehicle, containing 27 pounds of methamphetamine, worth about $45,000.
On Tuesday, a 23-year-old Arizona woman was referred for a further search of her vehicle by officers at the DeConcini Crossing. The K-9 assisted officers discovered 40 packages containing 35 pounds of cocaine and 29 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $399,000 and $48,000, respectively.
The subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The vehicles and drugs were seized.
