CBP Officers Seize Nearly $6.1M Worth of Hard Drugs

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales seized more than 349 pounds of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and suspected fentanyl on Saturday from three separate significant drug seizures.

CBP Officers at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 67-year-old Rio Rico, Arizona man for a further inspection of his Jeep SUV when he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico on Saturday morning. Following an alert by a CBP narcotics detection canine, CBP officers seized hard drugs from throughout the vehicle. They seized nearly 21 pounds of heroin, worth an estimated value of almost $560,000. They also seized 103 pounds of cocaine, worth nearly $2.5M; 116 pounds of methamphetamine, worth over $347,000 and 1.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl, worth almost $20,000.

A few hours later, a CBP narcotics detection canine at the DeConcini Crossing alerted to a Honda sedan that was crossing back into the U.S. from Mexico. The 21-year-old Phoenix man was questioned about the contents of his vehicle, before officers removed two packages of drugs from the vehicle’s rear tires. The drugs were identified as almost 15 pounds of meth, worth nearly $45,000.

That evening, officers at the Mariposa Crossing referred a 24-year-old Mexican national for further inspection of her Ford compact sedan. After a CBP canine alerted to the presence of drugs inside of her vehicle, officers removed more than 70 packages of hard drugs. Seized was more than 18 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $434,000. In addition, officers removed more than 64 pounds of meth, worth $1.9M; more than 9 pounds of heroin, worth almost $245,000 and nearly 2 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills, with an estimated value of about $27,000.

Officers seized the drugs and vehicles. The subjects were arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

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