Pills Found in Soda Bottle, Underwear

A 58-year-old woman was detained on June 2 after customs agents noticed abnormalities in a soda bottle she carried as she was trying to cross the border from Nogales, Mexico into the United States at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.

Upon further inspection, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found 372 doses of prescription medication in the bottle and hidden in her undergarments.

Medication that she was allegedly trying to smuggle into the United States from Mexico included: the controlled substance and benzodiazepine sedative Xanax, also known as Alprazolam; Carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant also known as Soma; the controlled substance and anxiolytic and sedative Diazepam; and other various pills that could not be identified.

The woman was arrested and transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Trafficking prescription medications, especially those that are controlled substances, across the border is a serious offense. There are Mexican laws that regulate the sale of “controlled” and “uncontrolled” medication in Nogales, Mexico pharmacies, and FDA regulations for requirements regarding the importation of prescription medications.

Read more about bringing prescription drugs from Mexico.