CBP Officers arrest mother/son smugglers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis arrested a 47-year-old Yuma woman and her 17-year-old son Wednesday after finding more than five pounds of methamphetamine taped to their bodies.

A CBP narcotics-detection canine in use at the pedestrian crossing alerted, prompting officers to search the duo. Officers found packages taped around the woman’s waist and inner thighs, and taped to the son’s inner thighs.

Officers seized the drugs and turned both subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP’s Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.