900 Pounds of Marijuana Stopped at Border

TUCSON, AZ - The holiday weekend proved again to be filled with attempts at smuggling contraband into Arizona through the ports of entry. The largest seizure happened on January 16 at around 2:30 in the afternoon when CBP officers working at the Lukeville port of entry arrested a 36-year-old man from Tucson after they found more than 660 pounds of marijuana hidden in the Ford F450 RV he was driving. Officers questioning the driver noticed he was having difficulty responding to their questions and decided to search the vehicle. During the inspection, officers found 107 bundles hidden in a secret compartment built into the recreational vehicle. CBP officers at the Douglas port of entry seized over 375 pounds of marijuana in four incidents during the weekend. The largest happened yesterday at around 5:30 PM after officers found 246 pounds hidden in a Buick LeSabre. "Jesse," a narcotics detector dog, alerted the officers to the odor and when the officers searched the car, they found 20 packages, worth approximately $185,000. The driver, a 39-year-old woman from Agua Prieta, was arrested. Narcotics detector dogs were also instrumental in other incidents, resulting in the arrest of three men from Agua Prieta and the seizure of over 130 pounds of marijuana, valued at approximately $98,000. CBP officers at the Nogales port of entry arrested a 19-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora after finding more than four pounds of marijuana strapped to his back. CBP officers also apprehended 14 people with warrants for their arrest, recovered one stolen vehicle, stopped three attempts at smuggling people into the country, and one attempt to smuggle in undeclared medication.