Nogales Border Drug Busts

A Compilation of the Latest Drug Smuggling Stories
A CBP marijuana seizure from August 2016. Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Nogales Drug Smuggling and Border Crime

 

Nogales, Arizona is a major international destination for illegal drugs crossing the southern border into the United States. In fact, it seems like every week there is another huge drug bust at the Mexican border at Nogales.

This has especially been true since the expansion of the Mariposa Port of Entry, which has not only facilitated the flow of products into Arizona from south of the border, but also an increased volume of illicit drugs, as entire drug stash warehouses have been discovered on both sides of the border, in Nogales, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona.

Nogales border drug interdiction news stories can be sad and sensational. Using elderly women and children as drug mules. Entire semi loads of marijuana hidden under watermelons or other produce. Individuals who swallow condoms filled with drugs or hide them inside of body orifices.

But as the official reports of drug seizures become more frequent and receive wide distribution and news media coverage, it becomes more difficult to gauge their cumulative impact. Sensational amounts of drug seizures are replaced by even new records for drug hauls, individual stories that do not show the consolidated impact of the international drug smuggling efforts.

That is why we follow reports of Nogales border drug interdictions and present them in one place, along with analyses and summaries of the successes and failures of Customs and Border Protection and other drug interdiction agencies. That way we can provide the most complete, intelligent and informative source of information about the border drug apprehension efforts in the Nogales border region.

Meth hidden in tortillas carried by a 62-year-old Nogales, AZ man

Two Wednesday Nogales Border Seizures Net $650k in Hard Drugs

October 26 seizures of cocaine, meth and heroin October 28, 2016 A woman from California and a man from Nogales, Sonora both failed in separate attempts to transport a total of $649,000 worth of hard drugs across the Nogales international border on October 26. A visit...

read more

Big Money Nogales Drug Busts on Tuesday and Wednesday

Two vehicular, two pedestrian attempts totaling $655k October 21, 2016 Four individuals were apprehended in as many drug smuggling attempts at Nogales international ports of entry on Tuesday, October 18 and Wednesday, October 19, 2016. The total value of drugs seized...

read more

Tucson Woman and Phoenix Man Attempt Nogales Drug Smuggling

Middle-aged Arizonans in vehicles with cocaine, meth October 13, 2016 A 58-year-old woman from Tucson and a 63-year-old Phoenix man were arrested in separate incidents where they allegedly attempted to smuggle $268,000 in hard drugs across the Nogales international...

read more
Nearly 25lbs of meth was discovered in a Volkswagen sedan driven by a Nogales, Mexico man