Nogales CBP officers arrest three, seize $500k worth of narcotics over separate incidents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at the Port of Nogales in Arizona recently apprehended two Mexican nationals and a U.S. citizen in connection to three separate narcotics smuggling incidents.

The first incident began as officers stationed at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 21-year old resident of Nogales, Arizona for a secondary inspection of his Honda sedan. After a brief examination of the driver’s vehicle, the officers discovered multiple packages of illicit methamphetamine inside the vehicle’s firewall weighing approximately 16 pounds.

A few hours later, officers stationed at the Mariposa Crossing referred a 35-year old Mexican national for a secondary inspection of his Chevrolet truck. After a brief search with the use of a narcotics-detecting canine team, the officers discovered approximately 13 pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s spare tire.

A third apprehension was made when officers stationed at the DeConcini Crossing referred a 39-year old Mexican national for a secondary inspection of his Ford truck. After a brief search with the use of a narcotics-detecting canine team, the officers located approximately 40 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle’s front fender.

All narcotics were seized and each individual was placed under arrest for narcotics trafficking. In total, the seized narcotics were street-valued at approximately $500,000. The individuals were subsequently turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit for processing.