Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended a Tucson woman involved in a failed attempt to smuggle more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin into the United States this week.
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 21-year-old Tucson woman for further inspection of her Ford sedan Wednesday night. A CBP canine alerted officers to almost 2.5 pounds of heroin, worth almost $43,000, from the vehicle’s firewall. They also seized more than 2 pounds of meth, worth more than $6,300.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and turned the arrested subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows for 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.