Nogales CBP Officers Seize Heroin, Meth Over Weekend

Seized narcotics valued at more than $271K

Nogales, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office made three separate drug seizures over the weekend, resulting in nearly 12 pounds of heroin and almost seven pounds of methamphetamines being seized, worth nearly $271,000.

CBP officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port referred a 46-year-old Tucson man for a secondary inspection of his Dodge truck when he attempted to enter the United States on Friday. After a CBP officer noticed some possible tampering with the engine, the vehicle was taken to a vehicle lift where officers located seven packages of crystal methamphetamine weighing almost seven pounds and valued at $106,000 concealed in the engine compartment.

Saturday, a 33-year-old man from Glendale, Ariz., was referred for a secondary inspection of his Buick sedan when he attempted to enter the United States. After a CBP detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, a subsequent inspection was conducted leading officers to discover four packages of heroin inside some luggage. The packages contained almost eight pounds of heroin valued at $102,000.

On Sunday, an 18-year-old Mexican national was referred for a secondary inspection of his Dodge truck when he attempted to enter the United States. After a CBP detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, the subject’s tailgate was removed for a non-intrusive x-ray. Inside the tailgate officers located four packages of heroin. The packages weighed nearly five pounds with a value of $62,000.

In all three of the incidents, the vehicles and drugs were processed for seizure. The subjects were arrested and turned over 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.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.