Yuma News Now

They were both escorted into the Passport Control office where it was determined the woman was not in fact the same person of the document presented. The woman was also found to have been previously deported twice. They were subsequently detained and taken into custody for immigration processing and the vehicle was seized. The man will face charges for alien smuggling and the woman will face charges for illegal entry after deportation.

On May 12th, an 18 year-old man applied for entry into the country while driving a 2003 Honda Accord accompanied by a friend. A CBP officer processing travelers coming from Mexico noticed the nervousness from the two and referred them into the vehicle secondary lot for further inspection.

Once in secondary the CBP officers discovered the speaker had 48 packages of marijuana with an approximate weight of 90 pounds (40.45 kgs).

The man was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation, but presented to the state for prosecution. The marijuana and vehicle were both seized and the passenger released.

The marijuana has an estimated street value of $213,576.

On the same date, a 46 year-old Mexican woman applied for entry into the U.S. while driving a 1997 Ford Expedition. A CBP officer processing travelers noticed discrepancies to the rear luggage compartment area and referred her to the vehicle secondary lot for inspection.

In the secondary lot, the CBP officers found the vehicle to have 13 packages of marijuana with an approximate weight of 111 pound (50.45 kgs). The vehicle and marijuana were both seized.

The woman was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation, but presented to the state for prosecution.

The marijuana has an estimated street value of $266,376.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.