Nogales, Arizona - Nogales Station Border Patrol agents arrested three U.S. citizens and three foreign nationals last Thursday during two foiled attempts to smuggle methamphetamine at the Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint.
In the first incident, agents working the primary inspection lane referred two Arizona women in a Chevrolet Cobalt for further inspection. When agents opened the vehicle’s trunk, they discovered two Mexican men, ages 30 and 38, illegally present in the country. An additional search of the female passenger revealed she was concealing more than 300 grams of methamphetamine on her body.
Agents seized the vehicle and arrested the two men for immigration violations. The women, identified as a 28-year-old from Kaibeto and a 36-year-old from Tuba City, were arrested for human smuggling. The passenger faces additional charges for drug smuggling.
A couple of hours later, a 32-year-old Tucson man driving a Toyota sedan was referred for a secondary inspection after a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it is trained to detect. A subsequent search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed two male Mexican nationals.
Agents arrested the driver on federal human smuggling charges. The two illegal aliens, ages 29 and 33, will be processed for immigration violations.
Federal law allows agents 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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free. Reporting illicit activity could result in saving someone’s life.