Yuma News Now

Nogales, Arizona - On November 15, 2008 in Nogales, Arizona, at the DeConcini and Mariposa ports of entry along the Arizona/Sonora border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers had four separate narcotics interdictions within less than 90 minutes.

Acting Port Director for Nogales Francis Brown, said “The success of our officers in apprehending four smuggling attempts in less than 90 minutes demonstrates their ability to maintain focus of the CBP mission and display the vigilance necessary to protect our country from the various threats coming to us at the border.”

The first seizure occurred at around 2:10 p.m. when an officer at the DeConcini port of entry became suspicious of a rail car making entry into the United States after observing anomalies using the Vehicle and Container Inspection System. During further inspection of the rail car, officers discovered 76 packages of marijuana, weighing more than 192 pounds, hidden in the structure of the car. Both the rail car and marijuana were seized.

The next seizure occurred at around 2:50 p.m. when an officer at the DeConcini port of entry became suspicious of the driver of a 1988 Nissan Sentra who was attempting to cross into the United States and referred the vehicle and driver for further examination. During the inspection of the vehicle, officers discovered eight packages of marijuana, weighing more than 73 pounds, hidden within the vehicle. The driver, a 47-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and the marijuana and vehicle were seized.

The third seizure occurred at around 3:22 p.m. when an officer at the Mariposa port of entry became suspicious of the driver of a 1999 Chevrolet Pickup who was attempting to cross into the United States and referred the vehicle and driver for further examination. During the inspection of the vehicle, officers discovered 10 packages of cocaine, weighing more than 25 pounds, hidden within the vehicle. The driver, a 36-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested and the cocaine and vehicle were seized.

The fourth seizure occurred at around 4:15 p.m. when an officer at the DeConcini port of entry became suspicious of the driver of a 1990 Ford Thunderbird who was attempting to cross into the United States and referred the vehicle and driver for further examination. During the inspection of the vehicle, officers discovered six packages of marijuana, weighing almost six pounds, hidden within the spare tire of the vehicle. The driver, a 16-year-old boy from Mexico, was arrested and the marijuana and vehicle were seized.

The four seizures at the Nogales ports of entry on November 15 totaled almost 271 pounds of marijuana and 25 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of over $430,000.00.