A Mexican national and a U.S. citizen were arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales in connection with separate failed attempts to smuggle a combination of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and suspected fentanyl into the United States on Tuesday.
A 33-year-old Nogales, Arizona resident was referred for further inspection of her Toyota van Tuesday morning by CBP officers at the Mariposa Crossing. A CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent it was trained to detect within the vehicle’s dashboard. Officers removed several packages of drugs, which were identified as more than 26 pounds of fentanyl, worth $360,000 as well as 2.5 pounds of heroin, worth nearly $68,000.
Later that day, officers at the Mariposa Crossing referred a 46-year-old Mexican national for an addition search of his Chevrolet sedan. After a positive alert by a CBP canine, officers removed multiple packages of hard drugs from throughout the vehicle. The drugs were identified as more than 3 pounds of fentanyl, valued at more than $41,000, more than 5 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $122,000 and more than 7 pounds of meth, with an estimated value of more than $22,300.
Officers seized the drugs as well as both vehicles. The subjects were arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.