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

Nogales Youth Attempts to Smuggle Meth in Xbox Gaming System

More than $10,000 in drugs hidden in gaming system September 15, 2016 A 16-year-old boy who was crossing the border on foot at the DeConcini pedestrian port of entry attracted the attention of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drug-detection dog. A subsequent...

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Nogales, AZ Man Attempts to Smuggle Meth Across Border

More than 17 pounds of the drug valued at $52,000 September 16, 2016 On Friday, September 9, Nogales Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials located and seized packages of methamphetamine from a vehicle driven by a 36-year-old man from Nogales, Arizona. The...

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CBP Makes $1.8 Million Nogales Border Cocaine Bust

Hyundai SUV packed with 160 pounds of cocaine   September 16, 2016 On September 9, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials intercepted a shipment of cocaine worth nearly $2 million from a vehicle that was attempting to cross the border at Nogales. That day,...

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August 2016 Nogales Drug Seizures Top $2.2 Million

Summary of Nogales Drug Bust Data from August 2016   September 2, 2016 According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) media releases, there were 16 drug busts made at Nogales Ports of Entry in August of 2016, with a total of more than $2.2 million in...

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