Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized nearly $2 million in heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine during smuggling attempts in Arizona. Border Patrol agents working nearby also arrested a previously-deported illegal alien with a violent criminal history.
CBP officers observed a man driving a Hyundai SUV from Mexico through the Dennis DeConcini border crossing in Nogales, Arizona, on September 9. The SUV, driven by a 27-year-old Mexican national, was referred to a secondary inspection station for a routine check. A K-9 officer alerted to the presence of drugs in his SUV and officers found 160 pounds of cocaine in the rear cargo area of the vehicle, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from CBP officials.
Officials estimated the value of the 60 packages of cocaine to be nearly $1.8 million. The man was arrested and the drugs and vehicle were seized.
Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
That same day, Border Patrol agents from the Tucson Sector working out of the Douglas Station arrested a Mexican national who had illegal re-entered the U.S. after being deported. The man had previously been deported following felony and misdemeanor charges in Raleigh, North Carolina. His record included charges for assault on a female, assault on a child under the age of 12, setting a fire, and resisting arrest. He was previously removed from the U.S. in 2015. The Mexican national was turned over to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution for illegal re-entry by a felon after removal.
Two additional drug seizures were made by CBP officers on Friday at the Nogales crossing. A K-9 officer alerted to the presence of drugs in a Dodge van driven by a U.S. citizen from Nogales. The officers found more than 17 pounds of methamphetamine in the front wheel well of the van. The 36-year-old man was arrested and the drugs and vehicle were seized. The meth was estimated to be worth over $52,000.
Later that day, officers in the pedestrian lanes of the DeConcini border crossing a 16-year-old girl from Nogales was found to be carrying three pounds of heroin in her undergarments. The heroin was estimated to be worth about $48,000.
Finally, on Saturday, another smuggling attempt was thwarted at the pedestrian lanes of the DeConcini crossing when a 32-year-old woman from Casa Grande, Arizona, was discovered to be carrying about a half-pound of meth in her underwear. Those drugs were estimated to be worth about $1,300.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating all of these cases for possible prosecution.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.