U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than 300 pounds of heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and small amount cocaine last weekend. The seizures came in four separate incidents at the Port of Nogales on the Arizona-Mexico international border. The officers arrested one Mexican national and four U.S. citizens and seized an estimated $4.2 million in drugs.
The first seizure occurred the afternoon of July 19 when CBP officers working the Mariposa Crossing referred a Jeep SUV occupied by a 19-year-old male from Tucson, Arizona, for a secondary inspection after he attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico. CBP personnel deployed a K-9 which led officers to 90 packages of drugs inside the trunk of the vehicle, according to information obtained from Tucson Sector officials. The packages contained approximately 107 pounds of methamphetamine. Officials estimated the value to be nearly $320,000. Officers also found the man also to be in possession of a small amount of personal use cocaine concealed inside his shoe.
The next seizure occurred a short time later when CBP officers working the Morley Pedestrian Crossing interviewed a 60-year-old Tucson woman and her 40-year-old daughter. The officers referred both of the women for an additional search after they attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico. A search of the mother produced four pounds of fentanyl wrapped and concealed around her waist. Officials estimated the fentanyl to be worth an estimated $50,000. A search of the daughter revealed two pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $7,000, and $1,500 worth of heroin.
On the morning of July 20, CBP officers working the Mariposa Crossing contacted a 31-year-old Mexican national driving a Toyota sedan as he attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico. CBP officers deployed a K-9 team which led officers to more than 11 pounds of heroin worth an estimated $305,000 concealed within the gas tank. Officers also found a small amount of fentanyl.
Later that afternoon, officers assigned to the Mariposa Crossing contacted a 56-year-old Mesa, Arizona, woman driving a Honda sedan as she attempted to re-enter the U.S. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the large discovery of a combination of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl inside the vehicle. The total amount of drugs located and seized was nearly 121 pounds of heroin (estimated at $3.26 million), nearly 65 pounds of methamphetamine (estimated at $194,000), and five pounds of fentanyl (estimated at $69,000).
CBP officers turned over all seized drugs and vehicles to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for determination of criminal charges.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com.
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