Thread: AZ: Cocaine worth millions seized at San Luis port of entry

Cocaine worth millions seized at port
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December 14, 2010 6:10 PM
BY CHRIS McDANIEL - SUN STAFF WRITER

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the San Luis port of entry seized nearly $6 million worth of cocaine during the past few days.

On Friday, a 23-year-old woman accompanied by a passenger attempted to smuggle more than 55 pounds of cocaine in a Dodge pickup. The two were referred by a CBP officer to the secondary lot for further inspection due to discrepancies found on the vehicle they were traveling in.

While in secondary, a narcotic detector dog alerted the officers to the undercarriage of the vehicle, where they found 22 packages of cocaine. The two individuals were arrested and later turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Then on Monday, a 56-year-old man attempted to smuggle more than 72 pounds of cocaine, CBP reported. He was driving a Ford Windstar van that was screened by a narcotic detector dog, who alerted officers to the vehicle.

During the inspection, the officers discovered 28 packages concealed in the front section of the vehicle. The man was arrested and later turned over to ICE.

The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is $5,785,000.

Also on Monday, CBP officers arrested a man for attempting to smuggle weapon parts into Mexico.

The 23-year-old man was walking southbound toward the border when he was selected and interviewed by CBP officers when they observed a bulge under his clothing.

During the physical inspection, the officers discovered the man had a Remington rifle barrel and wood receiver stock along with a pair of night vision binoculars. They arrested the man and later turned him over to ICE.

CBP could not be reached for comment as of press time Tuesday.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.


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