CBP Officers Seize More Than $909k in Narcotics

Nogales, Ariz. — After a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to a non-factory floor compartment in a vehicle at the Dennis DeConcini Port Friday, CBP officers found more than 36 pounds of cocaine, worth close to $332,000, and approximately 37 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $578,000. 

Officers referred Silvia Guadalupe Cantu Espinoza, 46, of Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, and her passengers for additional inspection when they attempted to enter the United States. Officers removed 26 packages of methamphetamine and 15 packages of cocaine from the vehicle.

Espinoza’s Chrysler sedan and drugs were seized. She was arrested and turned over to 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.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 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.