U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales recently arrested a Mexican woman and a juvenile male U.S. citizen during separate attempts to smuggle cocaine and heroin, worth more than $822,500, into the United States.
CBP officers at the Port of DeConcini made the larger seizure July 24 after referring the woman for a secondary inspection of her Chevrolet Malibu. During the inspection, a CBP canine alerted to a compartment near the vehicle’s trunk. Inside, officers found more than 37.5 pounds of heroin and more than 4 pounds of cocaine. Combined, the drugs are worth in excess of $704,000.
CBP officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested the juvenile July 23 after finding almost 7 pounds of heroin, worth more than $118,500, in his laptop computer, keyboard and other belongings during a secondary inspection of a Tufesa passenger bus. Officers made the discovery using a non-intrusive devise to inspect passengers’ baggage.
Officers seized all drugs and the woman’s vehicle, and turned both subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.