Millions in drugs seized at border
Comments 2
May 04, 2010 7:03 PM
BY JAMES GILBERT

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested 21 people this past weekend, including three suspected smugglers, and seized nearly $2.9 million in drugs.

Of those arrests, 15 were for immigration violations and three were for outstanding warrants.

According to a CBP news release, on Friday a 32-year-old U.S. citizen drove into the San Luis port of entry from Mexico in a Dodge Ram pickup.

The primary officer screening people and vehicles entering the country, according to the news release, referred the driver to the secondary inspection based on observations and inconsistencies with answers to routine questions.

While in the pickup was in secondary, a customs officer, with the assistance of a narcotic detector dog, reportedly discovered five packages of marijuana concealed inside an auxiliary gas tank.

The marijuana weighed over 131 pounds. The vehicle was also seized and the driver turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents for further investigation.

On Saturday, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen arrived at the San Luis port of entry from Mexico driving a Chevrolet Cobalt.

Again, the driver was referred to secondary inspection by the primary officer, based on observations and inconsistencies with answers to routine questions.

CBP officers in secondary, with the assistance of a narcotic detector dog and the X-ray machine, reported finding 32 packages hidden inside the vehicle's firewall.

The marijuana weighed over 71 pounds. The vehicle was also seized and the driver turned over to ICE special agents for further investigation.

Then on Sunday, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen arrived at the San Luis port of entry from Mexico driving a Dodge Avenger.

He, too, was referred to secondary inspections after the customs officer noticed the discrepancies to the speaker box inside the trunk.

A thorough inspection was conducted with the assistance of a narcotic detector dog, and 39 packages were reportedly discovered inside the speaker box.

The marijuana weighed over 106 pounds. The vehicle was seized and the driver turned over to ICE special agents for further investigation.

Also, over this past weekend, 15 undocumented people were arrested for immigration violations. Of those, eight were prosecuted in federal court for being present in the United States illegally and the other seven were returned to Mexico.

Another three people were arrested for outstanding warrants and turned over to local law enforcement


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