Nogales Station Border Patrol agents working at the Tubac Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint Friday morning detained two United States citizens from the greater Phoenix area, travelling with their 4-year-old child, after finding 6.5 pounds of methamphetamine in their vehicle’s spare tire.
After agents referred the 22-year-old male driver of a Nissan Sentra for a secondary inspection of the vehicle, a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect from vehicle. Agents assessed the spare tire of the vehicle and discovered methamphetamine, worth in excess of $22,400.
Agents arrested the driver and his 24-year-old female passenger for narcotics smuggling and seized the drugs and vehicle. The child was released to a family member.
The case was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.
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.