Nogales, Arizona - Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales’ DeConcini crossing arrested a 32-year-old woman returning from Mexico with her three children late Sunday, after discovering more than 41 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle.
Officers discovered the narcotics, valued at approximately $465,000, after a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the vehicle’s rear wheel-wells during secondary inspection.
Officers arrested the female driver after the discovery of the narcotics was made. The vehicle and illicit narcotics were seized. The woman was turned over to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, while her juvenile children were turned over to the custody of a family member.
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.