San Luis CBP officers stop meth smuggling attempts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two Southern California residents connected to separate failed smuggling attempts this past Friday, resulting in the seizure of more than $439,000 worth of methamphetamine at Arizona’s Port of San Luis, according to Customs and Border Protection.
CBP officers said they referred a 37-year-old resident of La Fuente, Calif. for additional questioning as she attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico Friday afternoon in a Honda van. After an alert by a CBP canine to a scent it is trained to detect, officers removed approximately 57 pounds of meth, worth more than $172,000 from inside the vehicle’s roof and quarter panels.
Later that evening, officers referred a 36-year-old, also from La Fuente, Calif. for further inspection of his GMC SUV as he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico. Following a CBP canine alert, officers removed more than 100 packages of meth from the quarter panels. The drugs weighed more than 89 pounds and are worth just more than $268,000.
CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicles. Both suspects were arrested and turned 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.
