Douglas, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, prevented 130 pounds of marijuana from being smuggled into the United States Friday.
Officers referred a 21-year-old man for a further inspection of his Ford truck Friday evening, following an alert by a CBP narcotics detection canine to an odor it was trained to detect. Officers searched the vehicle, finding multiple packages of marijuana concealed in the fenders, doors, and seats of the vehicle. The drugs have an estimated street value of $65,000.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle. The subject was arrested for narcotics smuggling. He was then turned 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 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 officers at ports of entry screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the U.S. while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission involves narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.