$2 Million in Narcotics Seized

CBP Officers Hard At Work During Holiday Weekend TUCSON, AZ. - The Thanksgiving holiday weekend was no time for relaxation for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Arizona ports of entry. Officers found more than 1,100 pounds of marijuana, 120 pounds of cocaine, and 14 pounds of methamphetamine, and arrested 13 people in 11 different smuggling attempts. Total value of the narcotics seized is estimated locally at almost $2 million. The largest seizure happened on November 27th at around 9:30 in the morning when CBP officers working at the Lukeville port of entry arrested a 42-year-old man from Apache Junction after they found almost 1,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in the Fleetwood RV he was driving. Officers questioning the driver noticed he was having difficulty responding to their questions and decided to search the vehicle. During the inspection, officers found 39 bundles hidden in a secret compartment built into the recreational vehicle. The passenger, a 47-year-old woman from Mesa, was also arrested. The largest cocaine seizure happened on November 26th at about 2:30 in the afternoon at the Nogales port of entry. Officers searching a 2005 Pontiac GTO found almost 50 pounds of cocaine hidden in the vehicle after a narcotic detection canine, "Duco," alerted officers to the narcotics. The 32-year-old driver was arrested. Two additional seizures of cocaine (41 pounds and 32 pounds) at the Nogales port of entry resulted in arrests of a 25-year-old man from Hermosillo and a 22-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora. On Thanksgiving, officers working at the Douglas port of entry searching a 1992 Ford F-150 found more than 14 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 50 pounds of marijuana hidden in a camper in the back of the truck. Officers looking at the camper noticed problems with the roof and used a narcotic detection canine to assist them. When the dog, "Diggim," alerted to the narcotics, officers opened a compartment in the roof and found 10 packages of methamphetamines and 32 packages of marijuana. The 48-year-old man from Agua Prieta who was driving the truck was arrested. Customs and Border Protection officers also arrested two people in connection with an attempt to smuggle over $20,000 in undeclared currency out of the country, arrested 4 people in connection with various attempts at smuggling in undocumented aliens, apprehended 7 people with warrants for their arrest, and recovered 3 stolen vehicles.