CBP officers thwart multiple drug smuggling attempts

February 17, 2011 10:44 AM
BY JAMES GILBERT - SUN STAFF WRITER

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., prevented several drug smuggling attempts over the last week, arresting a total of eight individuals, four of whom were juveniles.

In addition, CBP officers also arrested four drug mules while they were attempting to leave the country through the port after backpacking drugs in from Mexico.

According to Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer Teresa Small, on Feb. 13, CBP officers at the port stopped four men who were leaving the U.S. and headed for Mexico, for an outbound inspection, in which they were looking for weapons, undeclared currency, or any other possible export violation.

During the inspection, the officers discovered the four men had been previously deported from the U.S. and were unlawfully present in the country. Also, the men admitted the reason they were in the country was because they had carried backpacks of marijuana into the U.S. when they snuck into the country.

“We actually do see this on occasion,â€