CBP Officers Seize $793K Worth of Meth and Heroin at Port of Lukeville

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested a U.S. citizen from Tucson for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine and heroin Monday.

Officers referred a 26-year-old man for secondary inspection of his Chevy truck as he applied to enter the United States from Mexico Monday night, where CBP canine alerted to an odor it is trained to detect, leading officers to the discovery of more than 170 packages, nearly 200 pounds, of methamphetamine and eight pounds of heroin concealed within the vehicle’s floor and truck bed.  The drugs have an estimated value of almost $793,000

Officers arrested the subject and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and the 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.