U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales apprehended a U.S. citizen and a Mexican national involved in separate failed attempts to smuggle more than $1.2M worth of methamphetamine and heroin into the United States Thursday.
Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 32-year-old Mexican man for further inspection of his Dodge truck early in the morning. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect, resulting in drugs being identified in multiple places within his vehicle. More than 47 pounds of heroin, worth more than $824,000; and more than 59 pounds of meth, worth more than $177,000 were found within the rear quarter panels, firewall, and spare tire.
Officers at the DeConcini Crossing also referred a 33-year-old Tucson woman for a further inspection. A canine alert led to the discovery of more than 79 pounds of meth, worth more than $238,000, within the doors and firewall of her Ford truck.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and turned both arrested subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.