CBP Officers at Port of San Luis seize $199K in meth
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of San Luis said they apprehended two U.S. citizens after finding more than 66 pounds of methamphetamine during separate encounters Monday.
Officers first referred a 46-year-old Yuma woman for a secondary search of her 2008 Ford Fusion when she attempted to enter the U.S. early Monday. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the backseat area where they found more than 41 pounds of meth, worth approximately $123,000.
A few hours later, officers referred a 41-year-old man from Wellton, Ariz. for further inspection of his 1993 Ford Ranger. This time, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted officers to the truck’s tires. Each tire contained two half-moon metal collars filled with meth. Combined the drugs weighed 25 pounds and worth an estimated $76,000.
Officers arrested both suspects for narcotics smuggling, and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. CBP officers also seized the vehicles and drugs.
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.
