A joint operation led by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently resulted in more than 60 pounds of narcotics and five AK-47s being seized in three separate traffic stops on Interstate 10 in Arizona.
The arrests were the result of Operation Stonegarden, a program funded by the Department of Homeland Security that help law enforcement agencies strengthen border security. It also aims to improve coordination between CBP, U.S. Border Patrol and law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels.
Two separate traffic stops resulted in 52 pounds of methamphetamine and 10 pounds of heroin being seized on Interstate 10 near Arizona City on March 7. A 48-year-old man was found to be in possession of 30 pounds of methamphetamine in the first stop, and an 18-year-old was found to be in possession of 22 pounds of methamphetamine and 10 pounds of heroin in the second stop. Both drivers face felony charges in the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.
During a third traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Marana, an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper discovered five AK-47s in the trunk of a sedan and a small amount of cocaine in the driver’s wallet. The 24-year-old Nevada man was charged with trafficking weapons, and the guns were turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives.