$1 Million in Heroin & Meth Discovered at Douglas Port

DOUGLAS, AZ - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers with the Office of Field Operations at the Douglas Port of Entry discovered almost 15 pounds of heroin and almost 24 pounds of methamphetamine on Halloween. A 57-year-old man from Tijuana, Mexico was arrested yesterday afternoon by CBP officers after attempting to smuggle in almost 15 pounds of heroin hidden in the engine of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. Officers became suspicious during questioning and used a narcotics dog Jessy to sweep the vehicle. After Jessy alerted to the odor of narcotics, CBP officers searched the vehicle and found two large packages of heroin hidden in the engine manifold. The value of the heroin is estimated initially at almost $800,000. Officers also arrested an 18-year-old man from Agua Prieta early yesterday evening after a failed attempt at smuggling in almost 24 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a 2005 Volkswagon Jetta. CBP officers suspicions were raised when another drug dog, Diggim indicated narcotics might be hidden inside. During a search, five packages of methamphetamine were discovered hidden in a speaker box. The value of the narcotics is estimated at $193,000. The pressure put on the smugglers by our officers has forced them to try to conceal the narcotics in hard to reach areas, said Assistant Port Director Peter Bachelier, I cant give enough credit to the teamwork between our officers and canines. This is the largest heroin seizure at the Douglas port of entry since 1998, when officers found 7.6 pounds of heroin hidden in the driveshaft of a 1994 Chevy pickup. This is the first methamphetamine seizure of the new fiscal year. Last year, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Douglas port of entry seized almost 82 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $670,000