SAN LUIS, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Area Port of San Luis prevented the smuggling of over 380 pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine in two separate seizures last Wednesday in Southwestern Arizona.
The first incident CBP officers encountered a 71-year-old man driving a GMC SUV. The driver, a United States citizen, was referred for further inspection after a CBP K-9 screened the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics. Upon further examination, officers discovered and extracted a total of 30 suspicious packages concealed within the quarter panels of the vehicle. The contents of the packages were identified as more than 71 pounds of fentanyl powder in addition to over 20 pounds of meth.
In the second seizure, occurred as CBP officers encountered a 56-year-old Mexican male driving a Ford Cargo Van. The driver was referred for further examination. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the back of the vehicle, within a cargo load of cement tabletops. Inside the load was 19 packages which were determined to be more than 180 pounds of fentanyl as well as more than 110 pounds of meth.
“Officer expertise combined with our hardworking CBP K-9 teams prevailed in identifying these two different types of concealment methods,” stated Chris Leon, Area Port Director for San Luis. “Our CBP officers remain committed to keeping these very lethal narcotics off of our streets and out of our communities.”
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles. Both men were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.