San Luis, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Luis Port of Entry have been busy in the last several days. The most interesting incident was the arrest of a pregnant 19-year-old woman for a failed methamphetamine smuggling attempt.
The pregnant 19-year-old woman attempted to enter the United States through the pedestrian crossing but instead was referred by CBP officers. During the search the officers determined she was carrying more than two pounds of methamphetamine strapped to the lower part of her abdomen.
A second 19-year-old woman was arrested for attempting to smuggle more than 130 pounds of marijuana in a van. The woman was referred to secondary after the CBP officer noticed discrepancies in the vehicle seats. The marijuana was found hidden within the middle and rear seats. The narcotic detector dog assisted the officers in the inspection and confirmed the presence of marijuana.
Another significant seizure and arrest was that of 32-year-old man who attempted to smuggle more than 27 pounds of cocaine. The SUV the man was driving was found to have the cocaine hidden within the four doors.
All three individuals were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In addition, there was an alien smuggling case involving a 66-year-old man who attempted to use a counterfeit visa and travel permit to enter the U.S. illegally. The Mexican national was the passenger of a vehicle which was referred to secondary by a CBP officer.
In secondary the documents were confirmed to be counterfeit and the undocumented immigrant along with the driver were arrested and processed for the immigration violations.
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.
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. Laws.