Douglas, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the attempted smuggling of a dangerous drug when they seized nearly 70 pounds of cocaine concealed inside the doors of a pickup truck.
On Sept. 26, at approximately 7 p.m., CBP officers were screening traffic coming from Mexico. The CBP officers selected a 1994 Mercury Villager for inspection. The vehicle was being driven by a 32-year-old woman from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico.
With the assistance of a narcotics detection K-9 team the CBP officers discovered that the quarter panels of the Villager were filled with packages of cocaine. The total weight of cocaine was nearly 70 pounds with an estimated street value of $3.1 million.
CBP officers seized the vehicle and the cocaine. The woman was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution.
A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.