A Tucson man and a Mesa woman were arrested Tuesday at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in connection with separate failed attempts to smuggle marijuana.
A CBP service canine alerted to the undercarriage of a Dodge SUV and officers located 16 packages of marijuana inside a spare tire.
Silvester Padilla Romero, 42, was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection canine alerted officers to the presence of more than 545 pounds of marijuana in his Chevrolet truck. Officers located 110 packages and 11 loose bundles of marijuana inside the back panels and toolbox. The estimated value of the seizure was nearly $273,000.
Tasha Smith, 29, was arrested Tuesday night after a service canine alerted to the undercarriage of her Dodge SUV and officers located 16 packages of marijuana inside a spare tire. The drugs weighed almost 62 pounds and were valued at nearly $31,000.
Officers seized the vehicles and drugs. Romero and Smith will face state charges for drug smuggling.