TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested five U.S. citizens and two Mexican nationals during separate smuggling attempts this past week involving a combined 412 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine worth an estimated $919 K.
On Tuesday morning, officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing seized a combined 35 pounds of meth, heroin and cocaine, worth more than $201,000, during a secondary inspection of a Chevy truck driven by a 22-year-old Mexican man.
Later that morning, officers at the DeConcini pedestrian crossing referred a 17-year-old woman from Nogales, Arizona, for an additional inspection and found she was carrying more than a pound of heroin in her groin area. A few hours later, a 25-year-old woman from Rio Rico, Arizona, was caught with over a pound of heroin in her groin area. Later still, officers searched a 43-year-old Tucson woman and found she was carrying more than a pound of heroin in her purse. Combined, the three pedestrians were caught with more than $60,000 worth of heroin.
Tuesday morning, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred an 18-year-old Mexican man for a further search of his Saturn sedan. A narcotics-detection canine then alerted officers to the vehicle’s rocker panels where they discovered nearly 23 pounds of heroin, worth close to $400,000.
On Wednesday, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred a 23-year-old Rio Rico man for further search of his Pontiac sedan. Officers working with a CBP narcotics-detection canine located 13 pounds of cocaine, worth $148,000, hidden beneath the vehicle’s backseats.
On Thursday night, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred a 28-year-old Tucson woman for an additional search of her Ford SUV and found more than 37 pounds of meth, valued at $112,000, in the vehicle’s spare tire.
Officers seized all drugs and vehicles involved, and turned all the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.