Three Vehicular Drug Seizures at DeConcini and Mariposa
September 17, 2016
Three vehicular drug seizures and subsequent arrests of three Mexican nationals on September 17 netted a total of more than $236,000 in methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. Two of the Nogales vehicle drug border busts were made at the DeConcini Port of Entry; the third took place at the Mariposa Port of Entry.
The first drug seizure occurred when a 24-year-old Nogales, Sonora, Mexico woman attempting to drive a Dodge sedan through the DeConcini border crossing in Nogales was directed by CBP officers to the secondary inspection area.
There, a trained CBP narcotics detection dog showed a special interest in the vehicle, where his uniformed colleagues located more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine that was hidden in the sedan. The meth had a value of more than $91,000.
The second drug interdiction of the day also occurred at the DeConcini vehicular crossing, where a 78-year-old man from Ures, Sonora, Mexico attempting to drive across the border in a Dodge truck underwent CBP inspection.
There, CBP officials located more than 23 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at nearly $72,000, in addition to three-quarters of a pound of heroin, valued at more than $12,000.
The third drug discovery of the day occurred at the Mariposa vehicular border crossing, where a Nissan sedan driven by a 24-year-old woman from Santa Ana, Sonora, Mexico was flagged for inspection. CBP officers then discovered more than 122 pounds of marijuana hidden in a compartment in the floors of the vehicle. The seized pot was valued at more than $61,000.
All of the drugs were seized. The three Nogales drug smuggling suspects were arrested and taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection