$500K in Cocaine, Marijuana Seized in 3 Arizona Busts

Federal agents and officers seized over $500,000 worth of cocaine and marijuana in three separate busts in southern Arizona over the past week.

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Tucson Sector observed a white Ford truck pulling a horse trailer approaching the Arivaca Immigration Checkpoint on December 8. After a walk around search by a K-9 agent resulted in an alert to the possible presence of drugs, agents conducted a search of the trailer and discovered a hidden compartment, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.

The hidden compartment in the front of the trailer contained 31 bundles of what officials would later determine to be marijuana. The load of marijuana weighed in at 740 pounds. Officials estimated the street value to be about $370,000.

Agents took the driver and the passenger into custody. Both suspects were found to be U.S. citizens. They now face possible prosecution on drug smuggling charges. The truck, trailer, and marijuana were also seized.

A few days earlier, CBP officers assigned to the Port of Naco arrested a 20-year-old man from Bisbee, Arizona. The man was driving through the port of entry on December 6 when agents discovered seven pounds of cocaine hidden inside his Saturn SUV, according to a CBP statement. Officials estimated the cocaine to have a street value of $79,000. The man was arrested and the drugs and vehicle were seized.

That same day, officers assigned to the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry, near Douglas, Arizona, arrested a Mexican national after he was found attempting to smuggle 190 pounds of marijuana across the border. The 38-year-old man from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, was attempting to enter the U.S. when a K-9 officer alerted to the possible presence of drugs in his Mazda sedan.

A search of the Mazda revealed numerous bundles of marijuana hidden throughout the car. The marijuana was estimated by CBP officials to have a street value of about $95,000. The driver was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for possible prosecution. The drugs and the Mazda were seized.

The t0tal value of the three drug busts was estimated to be around $549,000, according to statements from CBP officials.

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.