San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two U.S. citizens in a failed smuggling attempt Wednesday resulting in the seizure of nearly 27 pounds of methamphetamine at Arizona’s Port of San Luis.
Officers referred two women, 26 and 54 years of age, for additional questioning as they attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico yesterday in a Ford sedan. After an alert by a CBP canine, officers discovered approximately 27 pounds of meth, worth nearly $80, 000 inside the vehicle’s rocker panels of the vehicle.
CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle. Both subjects were arrested and 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 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 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.