U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested three Arizona men Aug. 27 after finding 579 pounds of marijuana, valued at close to $290,000, during two smuggling attempts.
Officers first referred a 44-year-old Scottsdale resident and his 41-year-old passenger, a Phoenix resident, a secondary inspection of a Ford SUV towing a tent camper. During the inspection, officers uncovered more than 352 pounds of marijuana, valued at $176,000, concealed within a non-factory compartment built into the camper trailer.
Officers later referred a 32-year-old Phoenix man for further inspection of his Dodge truck and found nearly 227 pounds of marijuana, worth almost $113,500, within the truck’s bed.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.