San Luis, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Luis Port of Entry arrested four impostors and seized more than 400 pounds of marijuana over the last weekend.
CBP officers encountered four different impostors who attempted to enter the United States with documents that did not belong to them. In three of the cases the men presented the following documents: Border Crossing card, U.S. Passport Card, and Legal Permanent Resident document.
However, the fourth case was unlike the others because a woman presented a Border Crossing document which belonged to a man. Therefore, she presented herself to a CBP officer as a man in order to gain entry into the country. In all four cases officers noticed the impostors did not resemble the photos on the documents presented and arrested each person for immigration violations.
On Sunday May 23, CBP officers arrested three others on suspected marijuana smuggling charges. The first incident occurred just after 3 a.m. when an 18-year-old man attempted to smuggle marijuana concealed in the Chevy Malibu he was driving. A CBP officer noticed a package of an unknown substance on the dashboard while conducting primary cursory inspection of the vehicle. Ultimately, the vehicle inspection was continued and more packages were found within the dashboard which was confirmed to be just over 27 pounds of marijuana.
The second incident occurred approximately six hours later, when a 28-year-old man attempted to smuggle marijuana concealed in the Ford Explorer he was driving. CBP officers conducting enforcement operations found more than 93 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the doors and gas tank of the vehicle. The officers were assisted by a narcotic detector dog and an x-ray machine in detecting the contraband.
The third, and largest, case occurred just after 10 p.m. when a 46-year-old man attempted to smuggle marijuana in a Ford utility truck. A CBP officer, processing vehicles entering the United States, referred the man and his vehicle to a secondary inspection area. Upon further inspection, officers found more than 281 pounds of marijuana secreted in the external oil tank, with the assistance of a narcotic detector dog and an x-ray machine.
All three men were immediately arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The CBP Office of Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers' primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.
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.