Heroin concealed inside the gas tank.; Valued at $648,000
Saturday, 04 October 2008

Nogales, AZ. - Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales, Ariz. port of entry began the first day of their fiscal year with a heroin seizure of 14 pounds, estimated street value $648,000.
On Wednesday, at approximately 5:40 p.m., a CBP officer working the DeConcini port of entry selected a male driver of a 1989 Jeep Cherokee for further questioning. During the routine questioning, the driver became visibly nervous. The officer pulled the vehicle aside for a more intensive inspection.

The officer called in a narcotics detector dog, who alerted to narcotics odor coming from the vehicle. Officers began conducting a thorough search of the vehicle and discovered five packages of heroin concealed inside the gas tank.

The driver was immediately arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation. The heroin and the vehicle were seized.

This marks the first seizure for the port this fiscal year, which began October 1. Last fiscal year the Nogales port of entry had a record-breaking year, with 22 heroin seizures, totaling 252 pounds, with an estimated street value of almost $11.5 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection