Man caught trying to smuggle 55 pounds of cocaine

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested a Mexican national after he tried to smuggle more than 55 pounds of cocaine, according to CBP.

Officers said they referred a 44-year-old Caborca, Sonora, Mexico man for a secondary inspection of his Chevy pickup after he applied to enter the United States. During the inspection a CBP canine alerted to an odor it is trained to detect, leading officers to the vehicle’s doors. The drugs were identified as cocaine, weighing more than 55 pounds and worth more than $1.3M.

Officers arrested the man and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, after seizing the drugs and vehicle.

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.