CBP Thwarts Drug, Cash Smuggling Attempts

Updated: Wednesday, 22 Dec 2010, 3:53 PM MST
Published : Wednesday, 22 Dec 2010, 3:53 PM MST

NOGALES - Customs and Border Protection officers working at the port of Nogales Wednesday stopped a load of drugs and cash being smuggled across the border.

Officers seized $756,000 worth of heroin and cocaine on its way into the states and stopped more than $120,000 in cash heading to Mexico.

About 5 p.m. Tuesday, officers screening motorists at the border stopped the driver of a tractor trailer hauling tomatoes.

The scanned the vehicle with an X-ray system and noticed some anomalies -- so they called in a narcotics K-9. The dog alerted to the load and inspectors found four fire extinguishers hidden underneath the sleeper section of the cab.

Three of the extinguishers contained cocaine and the fourth held heroin. They recovered 4.5 pounds of heroin and 12 pounds of cocaine.

The driver was a 61-year-old man from Mexico who was turned over to ICE.

About 40 minutes later, officers were screening vehicles heading into Mexico and stopped a Mitsubishi Endeavor. They decided to inspect the contents of the vehicle and found a shoebox containing more than $120,000 in undeclared currency.

The driver was a 24-year-old woman from Phoenix. She was turned over to ICE.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/cr ... 12-22-2010