Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended two U.S. citizens and two Mexican nationals in three separate failed smuggling attempts this past weekend. More than $1.02 million worth of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl were stopped by port officials from being smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Officers working at the Mariposa Crossing referred an 18-year-old Rio Rico, Arizona man for further inspection of his Honda sedan Friday evening. When the vehicle was put onto a vehicle lift, officers removed more than 60 packages of drugs from the rear quarter panels and doors. They seized more than 76 pounds of methamphetamine, worth more than $228,000 as well as almost three pounds of heroin, worth over $51,000.
Saturday morning, officers at the DeConcini Crossing referred a 40-year-old Mexican woman for a further search of her Nissan sedan. A canine alert to an odor it was trained to detect, led to the discovery of more than 22 pounds of heroin, worth more than $391,000, and more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, worth in excess of $90,000 in the front and back seats.
Sunday morning, officers at the DeConcini Crossing referred a 56-year-old Eloy, Arizona man and his 57-year-old wife for further inspection of their Mercury sedan. A canine alert led officers to the floors, where they removed multiple packages of a variety of drugs. Seized were almost four pounds of fentanyl, worth nearly $110,000 and nearly four pounds of cocaine, worth almost $44,000. In addition, they seized more than four pounds of heroin, worth more than $74,000 and nearly 11 pounds of methamphetamine, worth nearly $32,000.
All four subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and vehicles were seized.