$1 Million in Cocaine Seized at Nogales Port of Entry
Arizona Free Press
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NOGALES, AZ - Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales port of entry stopped three cocaine smuggling attempts on Monday, January 30, 2006, arresting three people and seizing more than 128 pounds of cocaine.
The first smuggling attempt happened at a few minutes before 10:00 AM January 30, 2006, when a 31-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora tried to drive a Chevrolet Blazer into the country with the narcotics into the country hidden in the gas tank. When officers became suspicious of the vehicle during a routine search, they called in a narcotics detection dog, "Change" to help. When "Change" alerted to the odor of narcotics, CBP officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and found 20 packages of cocaine, worth almost $388,000. The driver was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The second smuggling attempt happened a few minutes before 3:00 PM Monday, January 30, when a 40-year-old man from Hermosillo, Sonora tried to drive a Ford Courier into the country with the narcotics hidden in a compartment built into the bed of the pickup. When officers became suspicious of the driver's behavior during questioning, they again called in the narcotics detection dog, "Change" to help. After "Change" alerted to the odor of
narcotics, CBP officers searched the vehicle and found a trapdoor to the compartment. Officers removed 21 packages of cocaine, worth almost $406,000. The driver was also arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The third smuggling attempt happened a few minutes before 9:00 PM yesterday, when a 20-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora tried to drive a Ford Windstar van into the country with the narcotics into the country hidden in the dashboard. The vehicle was selected for further inspection when officers became suspicious of the driver during questioning. CBP
officers searching the vehicle noticed discrepancies in the vehicle and found 10 packages of cocaine, worth almost $198,000. The driver was also arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2005, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales port of entry have intercepted more almost 1,500 pounds of cocaine, valued at more than $11.5 million.
The first smuggling attempt happened at a few minutes before 10:00 AM January 30, 2006, when a 31-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora tried to drive a Chevrolet Blazer into the country with the narcotics into the country hidden in the gas tank. When officers became suspicious of the vehicle during a routine search, they called in a narcotics detection dog, "Change" to help. When "Change" alerted to the odor of narcotics, CBP officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and found 20 packages of cocaine, worth almost $388,000. The driver was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The second smuggling attempt happened a few minutes before 3:00 PM Monday, January 30, when a 40-year-old man from Hermosillo, Sonora tried to drive a Ford Courier into the country with the narcotics hidden in a compartment built into the bed of the pickup. When officers became suspicious of the driver's behavior during questioning, they again called in the narcotics detection dog, "Change" to help. After "Change" alerted to the odor of
narcotics, CBP officers searched the vehicle and found a trapdoor to the compartment. Officers removed 21 packages of cocaine, worth almost $406,000. The driver was also arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The third smuggling attempt happened a few minutes before 9:00 PM yesterday, when a 20-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora tried to drive a Ford Windstar van into the country with the narcotics into the country hidden in the dashboard. The vehicle was selected for further inspection when officers became suspicious of the driver during questioning. CBP
officers searching the vehicle noticed discrepancies in the vehicle and found 10 packages of cocaine, worth almost $198,000. The driver was also arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2005, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales port of entry have intercepted more almost 1,500 pounds of cocaine, valued at more than $11.5 million.