Over the course of three days, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations officers arrested two United States citizens and one Mexican national who were attempting to smuggle hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs into the U.S. via the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona.
A 42-year-old Mexican male was attempting to cross through the port on Saturday, August 10 when CBP officers referred his Chevy truck for additional inspection.
With the aid of a CBP narcotics detection canine, officers discovered 180 packages of cannabis hidden throughout the vehicle.
The packages weighed a total of 202 pounds and had an estimated value of more than $60,000.
On Sunday afternoon, officers referred a 45-year-old Los Lunas, New Mexico woman for further inspection as she attempted to enter the U.S. through the Douglas port in a Chevy truck.
Upon a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a spare tire filled with 15 pounds of heroin and 4 pounds of meth, valued at approximately $171,000 and $3,000, respectively.
On Monday, CBP officers referred a 20-year-old Mesa man for further inspection of his Nissan truck as he attempted to cross into the United States through the Douglas port.
A CBP canine alerted officers to a scent which led them to the discovery of ten bundles of cannabis weighing nearly 159 pounds hidden behind a false wall in the front of the truck bed.
The value of the bundles was estimated at approximately $48,000.
“These were great interceptions by our CBP officers assigned to Douglas,” said Port Director Margaret Baldenegro in a statement. “These seizures are positive enforcement actions against transnational criminal organizations and highlights the important work our officers do, each and every day, to stop drugs from infiltrating our communities.”
CBP seized the drugs and vehicles and arrested the subjects before turning them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
