Tucson, Arizona - Nogales Station Border Patrol agents working at the Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint Tuesday night found almost 174 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of a Chrysler Concorde during a secondary inspection and arrest the driver.
Agents referred the male driver, later identified as a 34-year-old U.S. citizen from Apache Junction for an additional inspection. During the encounter, agents discovered eight bundles of marijuana inside trash bags in the vehicle’s trunk.
Agents seized the drugs, worth more than $86,000, and vehicle. The driver was arrested and charged with drug smuggling.
Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.