SAN LUIS, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Area Port of San Luis prevented the trafficking of over 80 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 47 pounds of cocaine in two separate seizures this past Friday. The estimated street value of all narcotics seized by CBP is in excess of $668,000.
The first incident occurred at approximately 6:00a.m., CBP officers encountered a 37-year-old man driving a 2005 pickup truck. The driver, a United States citizen, was referred for further examination.
In the secondary inspection area, a non-intrusive inspection of the vehicle was conducted. CBP officers utilized the port’s imaging system to screen the vehicle and observed irregularities within the tires of the vehicle.
CBP officers extracted eight (8) packages concealed. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a total weight of over 80 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $169,000.
The second incident occurred moments later as CBP officers encountered a 46-year-old man driving a 2006 pickup truck. The driver, also 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, CBP officers discovered a total of 20 suspicious packages concealed within a speaker box in the vehicle. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as cocaine with an estimated street value of nearly $499,000 with a weight of approximately 47 pounds.
“Amazing work done by our officers, K9 teams, and imaging systems operators in such a short amount of time,” stated Chris Leon, Area Port Director for San Luis. “These two seizures really highlight the multiple layers of inspection CBP has at the port of entry.”
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.