U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended a 27-year-old Mexican man after he attempted to smuggle 42 pounds of cocaine into the U.S. from Mexico February 22.
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing Thursday referred the man’s 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer to secondary inspection where a CBP canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect and imaging revealed anomalies in the vehicle. Officers removed 17 packages from the fuel tank, with an estimated street value of $ $475,650.00.
The man was arrested and the vehicle and drugs were seized. He has been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows for filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.