U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested two U.S. citizens and two Mexican nationals during four weekend smuggling attempts involving a combined 36 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine worth an estimated $177,000.On Friday, officers referred a 43-year-old man from Stockton, California for an additional search of his Nissan truck. After a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the vehicle’s front undercarriage, officers found more than 10 pounds of meth, valued at $31,000, in the vehicle’s transmission gearbox.
That afternoon, officers at the Morley pedestrian gate referred a 21-year-old Mexican woman for further search and found more than 2 pounds of heroin, worth close to $41,000, hidden in her brassiere.
Early Sunday, officers at the Mariposa crossing referred a 41-year-old Mexican man for further inspection of his Ford sedan. Using a CBP narcotics-detection canine, officers located multiple packages of meth, weighing nearly 21 pounds and valued at $62,000, in the vehicle’s trunk.
Later in the day, officers referred a 14-year-old girl for further inspection at the DeConcini pedestrian gate and found nearly 2.5 pounds of heroin, worth approximately $43,000, strapped to her thighs.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicles involved, and turned the subjects over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.