Four females, and one male a commercial shuttle were arrested Sunday for attempting to smuggle narcotics through the Interstate 19 Immigration Checkpoint.
Shortly after 5 p.m., a shuttle van was referred for routine secondary immigration inspection of its passengers. During the inspection, agents discovered four of the female passengers were smuggling heroin and a 32-year-old Phoenix man was the group’s facilitator. All five U.S. citizens were arrested.
Agents found heroin in a 52-year-old woman’s purse, while her 23-year-old daughter and 36-year-old friend had heroin concealed on their bodies. All three women traveled from Alaska. The fourth woman, a 30-year-old resident of Parker, Arizona, was also carrying heroin on her body.
The Phoenix man was in possession of a large amount of money and multiple gift cards. All five people were charged with drug smuggling and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.