TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis arrested four U.S. citizens, three teenagers and one adult male, in separate incidents over the past two days, preventing more than 52 pounds of hard drugs from entering the United States.
Wednesday afternoon, officers at the San Luis pedestrian crossing referred a 17-year-old girl for further screening. During their search, they found more than two pounds of methamphetamine wrapped around her torso. A short time later, officers referred a 15-year-old girl for additional screening, leading again, to the discovery of more than two pounds of methamphetamine wrapped around her torso. Approximately an hour later, a third teen, a 17-year-old boy, attempted to enter the U.S. through the pedestrian crossing. A search of the subject led to the discovery of nearly 1.5 pounds of meth, wrapped around the subject’s leg. In all three instances, an alert by a CBP canine led to further scrutiny by officers. The combined street value of the confiscated drugs totals more than $18,000.
On Thursday, officers working the inbound vehicle lanes, referred a 34-year-old man for a secondary inspection of his Cadillac as he entered the United States. A CBP canine screened the vehicle and alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. Officers removed multiple packages of drugs from the floorboard of the vehicle; amounting to more than 44 pounds of meth, worth almost $133,000, and nearly three pounds of heroin, worth nearly $48,000.
CBP officers arrested all four suspects, then turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The vehicle and drugs were seized.
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.
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.