TUCSON — Six previously deported illegal aliens were arrested with more than six pounds of methamphetamine Tuesday evening by Border Patrol agents assisted by National Guard helicopter crews working under Operation Guardian Support.
Border Patrol agents from the Tucson Sector Mobile Response Team aboard a National Guard helicopter responded to a report of six men walking in the desert.
The agents found and arrested six Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States, after a tracking operation which included a K-9 team, said a release from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
One of the suspects was carrying four packages of methamphetamine inside his backpack, the release said. A search of the area, which is often used by smugglers, led to the discovery of a two-way radio, a common tool of cartel smugglers.
The suspects were remanded to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations.