San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis apprehended a 19-year-old man Thursday morning after finding close to 15 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle.
As the man was returning from Mexico, officers referred him for a secondary inspection of the GMC Yukon he was driving. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the vehicle’s radiator where they found two packages of meth worth almost $44,000.
Officers arrested the man for narcotics smuggling and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. CBP officers also seized the vehicle and drugs.
Federal law allows officers 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.
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.