TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested two Mexican nationals and a U.S. citizen, during separate smuggling attempts Wednesday involving more than $500,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine.
CBP officers at the DeConcini crossing referred a 21-year-old man from Nogales, Arizona, for an additional search of his Honda sedan. Officers discovered multiple packages of meth, approximately 16 pounds combined, within the vehicle’s firewall.
Nearly 13 pounds of meth was removed from a smuggling vehicle’s spare tire
A short time later, officers at the Mariposa crossing referred a 35-year-old Mexican man for further search of his Chevrolet truck. Using a CBP narcotics-detection canine, officers located almost 13 pounds of meth in the vehicle’s spare tire.
Later in the day, officers referred a 39-year-old Mexican man for further inspection of his Ford truck at the DeConcini crossing. A canine team then helped find nearly 40 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle’s front fender.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles involved, and turned the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.