Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized more than 150 pounds of marijuana, worth in excess of $75,000, during a secondary inspection of two vehicles and a camper trailer at the State Route 83 immigration checkpoint this week.
Sonoita Station agents directed a Chevrolet pickup truck, occupied by three adult U.S. citizens with a camper trailer in tow, to a secondary inspection area after a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. During the subsequent search, agents found multiple bundles of marijuana in the camper.
Agents arrested the 43-year-old driver and two passengers for smuggling and seized the vehicle, camper and marijuana.
Federal law allows agents 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 or until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.