TUCSON, Ariz. –U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales arrested two United States citizens in two separate drug smuggling events yesterday.
Early Thursday, officers at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 19-year-old Phoenix woman for further inspection of her Ford sedan. After a positive alert by a CBP canine, officers removed two cylindrical packages from her purse. The drugs were identified as more than one pound of heroin valued at nearly $30,000.
Later in the day, CBP officers referred a 37-year-old Murray, Utah woman for further inspection of her Honda van. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent it was trained to detect within the vehicle’s rear quarter panel, where officers removed 13 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $302,000.
Officers seized the drugs as well as both vehicles. Both women were arrested and 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 for 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.
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.