Border Patrol agents arrest 10, seize $700,000 in drugs

On July 10, agents stopped a male U.S. citizen and his wife, a Mexican national, at the Border Patrol checkpoint on the eastbound side of Interstate 8, east of Yuma. After agents directed the driver to a secondary inspection lane, a follow-up search with a canine led to the discovery of 16 pounds of methamphetamine and 35 pounds of cocaine in the vehicle’s rocker panels. The drugs have a combined value exceeding $440,000.

On July 11, agents performing line watch duties tracked footprints found near Gila Bend and caught up with seven men and a juvenile with nine bundles of marijuana valued in excess of $260,000. All subjects were identified as Mexican nationals in the U.S. illegally.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents combat smuggling organizations attempting to illegally transport people and contraband through southwestern Arizona and California. Citizens can help the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.

San Luis CBP Officers seize $187K of marijuana

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of San Luis arrested a 19-year-old woman from Altadena, California on July 9 for attempting to smuggle 375 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of a Toyota sedan.

Officers seized the drugs, valued at approximately $187,500, and vehicle. The suspect was arrested before being turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Federal law allows officers to charge inpiduals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An inpidual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP’s Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

Douglas CBP Officers seize $82K in marijuana

Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona arrested a Douglas, Ariz. man in connection with a failed attempt to smuggle nearly 164 pounds of marijuana into the United States Friday, July 8.

Officers referred the 47-year-old man for a secondary inspection of his GMC truck, where a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to multiple packages of marijuana, valued in excess of $159,000, within the back cab wall and camper of the vehicle.

Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and turned the subject over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.