U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales seized marijuana and cocaine with a combined value of more than $7,200,000 on Saturday.Saturday afternoon, officers at the Mariposa Commercial Facility referred a tractor trailer carrying bell peppers, and its’ 46-year-old Mexican male driver, for further inspection.
When the commodity was off-loaded, a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. Subsequently, officers discovered and removed more than 13,700 pounds of marijuana, which was co-mingled with the produce. The drugs have an estimated value of $6.85M.
Later that evening, officers at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 29-year-old Mexican man, for a closer inspection of his Ford SUV. Using a CBP narcotics-detection canine, officers located more than 34 pounds of cocaine hidden in the vehicle’s back seats. The drugs were estimated to be worth nearly $386,000.
The narcotics and vehicles involved were seized, and both subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.