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 border.
On October 11, a Nissan sedan driven by the Tucson woman was attempting to cross the Nogales international border at the DeConcini Port of Entry when a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drug-sniffing dog alerted CBP officers to her vehicle.
CBP officials then found almost 16 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the Nissan’s center console. The drugs were valued at $48,000.
The next day, October 12, a Volkswagen van driven by the Phoenix man entered the vehicle lanes of the DeConcini Port of Entry and was directed to the secondary inspection area.
There, a CBP drug-detection dog pointed the way to a stash of drugs concealed in the front fender and rear quarter panels of the van.
CBP officers seized more than 28 pounds of methamphetamine and almost 12 pounds of cocaine. The combined value of the drugs was estimated to be $220,000.
The drugs and both vehicles were seized, and the middle-aged alleged international drug smugglers were taken into custody and sent to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations unit.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
