CBP Enforcement Efforts Result in More than $675K Worth of Seized Dope, Coke

San Luis, Ariz. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Luis port of entry intercepted several attempts to smuggle cocaine and marijuana in the last week. Our officers work very hard to prevent drugs and other harmful items from reaching the United States, said Port Director William Brooks, and these are examples of their diligent efforts. The first seizure occurred on October 30, just after 11 a.m., when a CBP officer was screening travelers entering the U.S. from Mexico. The officer referred a 20-year-old Mexican national male to the vehicle secondary lot for further inspection due to discrepancies which were observed in the 1995 Ford Explorer he was driving. The vehicle was thoroughly searched by the CBP officers after a narcotic detector dog assisted them by alerting to the gas tank area. A total of seven packages of cocaine were extracted from the man-made compartment within the gas tank. The cocaine and vehicle were both seized. The man was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The cocaine has an estimated street value of $463,000.00. The second seizure occurred on November 1, at approximately 5 p.m., when a CBP officer selected the 1998 Chevy Malibu driven by a 52-year-old United States citizen woman waiting to enter the U.S. from Mexico. The officers discovered marijuana packages in the front fenders of her vehicle. A total of 25 packages of marijuana were extracted from both fenders which totaled over 64 pounds. The vehicle and marijuana were both seized. The woman was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The third seizure occurred on November 1, at approximately midnight, when a CBP officer detected marijuana packages in the 1994 Geo Prism driven by a 51-year-old United States citizen entering the U.S. from Mexico. She was referred into the vehicle secondary lot where the thorough inspection was conducted. The officers found a total of 18 packages of marijuana with a total weight of 35 pounds. The fourth seizure occurred on November 2, at 10:30 a.m., when a CBP officer selected the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by a 28-year-old United States citizen woman entering the U.S. from Mexico. She was referred into the vehicle secondary lot due to the narcotic detector dog alerting to the vehicle. After the thorough inspection was conducted by the officers, seven packages of marijuana were discovered within the dash area with a total weight of 13 pounds. Both the marijuana and vehicle were seized. The woman was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The fifth seizure occurred on November 4, just after 8 p.m., when a CBP officer selected the 2007 Saturn driven by 20-year-old United States citizen man entering the U.S. from Mexico. He was referred to vehicle secondary due to the narcotic detector dog alerting to the vehicle. After the thorough inspection was conducted the officers found 20 packages of marijuana with a total weight of 20 pounds also within the dash area. Both the marijuana and vehicle were seized. The man was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $212,000.00.