Border News

Douglas, Arizona - Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas prevented 2 U.S. citizens and one Mexican national from smuggling nearly 380 pounds of marijuana, heroin and meth into the United States since Saturday.

Officers referred a 42-year-old Mexican male for additional inspection of his Chevy truck as he attempted to enter the U.S. through the port on Saturday afternoon. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted officers to a scent it was trained to detect, leading to the discovery of nearly 180 packages of marijuana throughout the vehicle. The drugs weighed 202 pounds, with an estimated value of more than $60,000.

Sunday afternoon, a 45-year-old Los Lunas, New Mexico woman was referred for further inspection as she attempted to enter the U.S. through the port. When officers searched her Chevy truck, they determined the spare tire was filled with drugs. Inside were 15 pounds of heroin, worth nearly $171,000 as well as 4 pounds of meth, worth more than $3,000.

Officers referred a 20-year-old Mesa man for further inspection of his Nissan truck after he attempted to enter the U.S. through the Port of Douglas Monday morning. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted officers to a scent it was trained to detect, leading officers to search the vehicle and find 10 bundles of marijuana behind a false wall in the front of the truck bed. The drugs, weighing nearly 159 pounds, have an estimated value of nearly $48,000.

Officers seized the drugs and vehicles. The subjects were arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

“These were great interceptions by our CBP officers assigned to Douglas,” said Port Director, Margaret Baldenegro.  “These seizures are positive enforcement actions against transnational criminal organizations and highlights the important work our officers do, each and every day, to stop drugs from infiltrating our communities.”