CBP July Drug Seizures Total More than $2.26 Million
During the month of July 2018 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Border Patrol made 15 arrests for alleged drug smuggling during 12 days at the Nogales international border ports of entry and in downtown Nogales, Arizona.
The total reported value of drugs seized was $2,264,540, which included interdictions of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and opioid medication.
July was an especially big month for the interception of attempted cross-border methamphetamine shipments, with nearly 500 pounds of the drug seized at the border. A big chunk of the monthly meth seizures was a major drug haul at Mariposa commercial facility on July 7 for a total of more than $1.4 million in illegal drugs, the second largest discovery and seizure on record.
Summary and Analysis
Arrests were made on 39 % of days in July. Nearly half (46.6 %) were made on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, eight (53.3%) were made from Monday to Wednesday and there were no busts on Thursdays in July.
Eight women and seven men were arrested for drug offenses. Of the 15, six of them were identified as Mexican nationals and nine were U.S. citizens.
Six of the seizures involved drugs hidden in a vehicle and there was one drug arrest that involved a border wall-jumper with a bundle of methamphetamine on his back.
Just over half (eight out of 15) of the June 2018 Nogales international border drug busts were “body carriers” trying to smuggle hard drugs across the border hidden on or in their body. Seven of the eight body carriers (78.5%) arrested in July were women, and five of the seven had drugs hidden inside of their body.
There were seven drug seizures and apprehensions at the DeConcini Port of Entry in downtown Nogales, Arizona, four drug seizures at the Mariposa Port of Entry, three drug interdictions at the Morley Avenue Pedestrian Gate and one drug arrest in downtown Nogales, Arizona.
Drugs seized include:
Heroin – Three seizures (two were pedestrian body carriers) for a total of 7.5 pounds, valued at approximately $129,500
Fentanyl – Three seizures for a total of 12.6 pounds, valued at approximately $177,000
Cocaine – Three seizures for a total of 38 pounds, valued at approximately $428,200
Methamphetamine – 10 seizures for a total of 471.58 pounds, valued at approximately $1,416,840
Marijuana – There were no marijuana seizures at Nogales international ports in July
Prescription Drugs – CBP officials seized 100 methylphenidate (Ritalin) tablets and 6,000 pills believed to be Oxycodone. The Oxy tablets were valued at $113,000.
July 2018 Nogales Border CBP Drug Seizures
Wednesday, July 4 – American woman attempts to smuggle heroin at Morley Gate
The first border smuggling arrest of July 2018 occurred at the Morley Avenue pedestrian border crossing, where a drug-detection canine alerted CBP officers to a 23-year-old woman who was crossing the border. During a secondary inspection, officials found a half-pound of heroin concealed in her “crotch.” The heroin was valued at $8,500.
Friday, July 6 – 38-year-old Mexican man with cocaine in his Saturn
A 38-year-old Mexican man driving a Saturn sedan from Nogales, Mexico to Nogales, Arizona through the DeConcini Port of Entry was directed to the secondary inspection area, where a canine showed special interest in his vehicle. CBP officers then located more than 21 pounds of cocaine behind the Saturn’s firewall. The drugs were valued at $239,200.
Saturday, July 7 – 65-year-old truck driver caught hauling a $1.4M drug shipment
On Saturday, a 65-year-old Mexican truck driver attempting to haul a commercial load from Mexico into the United States at the Mariposa Commercial Port of Entry was directed to secondary inspection, where a drug-detection canine identified products in the load that were not bound for supermarkets.
CBP officers then located more than 364 pounds of methamphetamine valued at nearly $1.1 million dollars; nearly seven pounds of fentanyl valued in excess of $95,000; six pounds of heroin valued at more than $100,000; and 6,000 tablets believed to be oxycodone. If the pills are the suspected opiate medication, their value would be nearly $113,000.
The total for the haul was listed at 377 pounds of hard drugs. The combined value of the haul, including the estimated value of the oxycodone tablets, was $1,400,300.
The driver was arrested and his truck and the load he was hauling were seized by CBP officials.
Monday, July 9 – Border wall jumper with meth in backpack arrested by BP in downtown Nogales, AZ
Border Patrol officers spotted a 31-year-old Mexican man wearing a suspicious-looking backpack climb over the border wall from Nogales, Mexico into Nogales, Arizona, west of the DeConcini Port of Entry near International Street in Nogales, Arizona.
After descending from the wall, the man got into a 2004 Ford Explorer, which Border Patrol officers followed as it drove east until it stopped in a parking lot in downtown Nogales, Arizona. There, the man bolted from the vehicle and was apprehended by the Border Patrol.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed that the man’s backpack was a drug bundle that contained more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at approximately $49,000.
The man was arrested and charged with suspected narcotics smuggling and illegally entering the United States. The press release did not mention whether the vehicle was seized, or whether the driver was arrested.
Tuesday, July 10 – Two Americans caught allegedly smuggling hard drugs in separate incidents
An American man and woman were arrested at different Nogales international ports of entry for attempting to smuggle hard drugs into the United States from Mexico.
The first bust was at the DeConcini vehicular port of entry in downtown Nogales, where a 41-year-old man driving a Chevrolet sedan was flagged for secondary inspection. There, a drug-detection canine alerted CBP officers to the potential presence of drugs in the vehicle, and they found 51 pounds of methamphetamine in 50 packages that were hidden throughout the sedan. The meth was estimated to have a value of more than $153,000.
That afternoon, a 40-year-old woman walking though the pedestrian crossing at the Mariposa Port of Entry when CBP officers were alerted by a canine to the presence of drugs. They then found two packages of hard drugs affixed to her midsection – a pound of methamphetamine valued at $3,300 and a pound of heroin with an estimated value of more than $21,000.
Monday, July 16 – 37-year-old American woman caught smuggling meth and cocaine
A 37-year-old Arizona woman driving a Chevrolet sedan from Nogales, Mexico to Nogales, Arizona was directed to the secondary inspection area of the downtown DeConcini Port of Entry, where a specially trained canine alerted CBP officers to the potential presence of drugs in the vehicle. Officials then located a stash of drugs beneath the car’s center console – almost 13 pounds of cocaine valued at nearly $144,000 and more than two pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated value of $6,600.
Wednesday, July 18 – Bicyclist with Ritalin pills at the DeConcini Crossing
A 19-year-old Mexican man attempting to ride his bicycle through the DeConcini Port of Entry in downtown Nogales was stopped by CBP officials after a drug-detection canine alerted them to the possible presence of drugs.
Officers then found 100 methylphenidate tablets hidden in his pants. Methylphenidate, also known by the brand name Ritalin, is a nervous system stimulant that is also a controlled substance and cannot be brought from Mexico into the United States without a valid prescription from a licensed U.S. physician.
Friday, July 20 – 40-year-old American woman at DeConcini with meth hidden in her body
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that a 40-year-old American woman attempting to cross the border through the pedestrian area of the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales was stopped by CBP officers after a drug-detection canine alerted them to “an odor it was trained to detect.” She then voluntarily removed a half-pound package of methamphetamine from inside of her vagina. The meth had an estimated value of $1,400.
Saturday, July 21 – Seizures at the Morley Gate and Mariposa Port
25-year-old American woman at Morley with meth hidden in her body
For the second consecutive day, a CBP narcotics canine alerted officials to the possibility of drugs carried by a female crossing through a Nogales pedestrian border crossing, this time at the Morley Pedestrian Crossing. As in the previous day’s bust, the 25-year-old woman also voluntarily agreed to remove the half-pound of methamphetamine she was attempting to smuggle from inside of her vagina. The meth was valued at $1,400.
37-year-old Mexican male with 36 pounds of meth in his pickup truck tailgate
On the same day, a 37-year-old male driving a Ford truck was directed to secondary inspection at the Mariposa Port of Entry. There, a narcotics detection canine alerted CBP officers to the possibility of drugs in the vehicle, and they found more than 36 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the tailgate of the truck. The estimate value of the meth was in excess of $108,000.
Friday, July 27 – 32-year-old American woman caught with fentanyl at DeConcini
A 32-year-old woman walking through the pedestrian crossing at the DeConcini Port of Entry in downtown Nogales was directed to the inspection room after a CBP canine alerted to the odor of drugs. Officials found .60 pounds of fentanyl hidden in her body cavities and undergarments. The fentanyl was estimated to have a value of almost $19,000.
Saturday, July 28 – 44-year-old American woman busted with meth at Morley Gate
A 44-year-old American citizen who was attempting to cross the border from Mexico into Nogales, Arizona at the Morley Pedestrian Gate got the attention of a CBP narcotics canine. CBP officers then located one-third of a pound of methamphetamine hidden in a feminine hygiene product. The meth was estimated to have a value of more than $1,000.
Tuesday, July 31 – Border drug busts at Mariposa and DeConcini
A 34-year-old Mexican man driving a Ford box truck loaded with electrical cables was directed to secondary inspection at the Mariposa Commercial Port of Entry. CBP officers searched the truck and found two wooden blocks in its cab that were filled with illegal drugs. Officials seized five pounds of fentanyl, valued at $63,000, and more than four pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $45,000.
Also on that Tuesday, a 50-year-old American woman walking through the pedestrian border crossing at the DeConcini Port of Entry was directed to the inspection room. There, she was found to have a quarter-pound of methamphetamine hidden in her vagina. The meth was estimated to have a value of $840.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press releases