San Luis CBP Officers nab meth smuggler

Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis arrested a 20-year-old woman after finding almost 40 pounds of methamphetamine, worth close to $121,000, in her Buick SUV Saturday morning.

Officers referred the woman, identified as a U.S. citizen living in Mexico, for further inspection of her vehicle as she was entering the country. During the inspection, officers found the drugs in the vehicle’s quarter panels and the center console.

Officers arrested the suspect for narcotics smuggling and turned her over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and vehicle were seized.

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.