U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis apprehended two Mexican nationals and seized more than 93 pounds of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine during separate encounters on Sept. 15.
Officers first referred a 36-year-old Mexican man for a secondary inspection of his 2004 Hummer H2 when he attempted to enter the U.S. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the rocker panels where they found more than 22 pounds of cocaine, worth approximately $249,000; close to 35 pounds of meth, worth almost $105,000; and more than 2 pounds of heroin, worth in excess of $42,000.
Later that evening, officers referred a 35-year-old Mexican man for further inspection of his 2010 Dodge Ram truck. When a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the truck’s firewall area behind the dash, officers found almost 34 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $380,000.
Officers arrested both suspects for narcotics smuggling and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. CBP officers also seized the vehicles and drugs.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.