CBP Officers Seize Half Ton of Marijuana At San Luis, Ariz.; Largest Bust at Porty

Monday, June 25, 2007

San Luis, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Luis, Ariz. port of entry stopped a major narcotics smuggling attempt yesterday, seizing more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and arresting both a U.S. citizen and a Mexican citizen in the process.

CBP officers screening travelers and vehicles coming into the United States through the San Luis port of entry as part of their anti-terrorism operations Sunday afternoon encountered two men bringing a 2001 Ford F-350 that was pulling an enclosed trailer with an ATV inside.

When talking with the driver, a 20-year-old man from Thermal, Calif., and his passenger, a 22-year-old man from Mecca, Calif., a CBP officer received conflicting answers to routine questions and decided a more intensive inspection of both the men and the vehicle was warranted.

While a CBP officer questioned the men and others began inspecting the vehicle, another officer screened the vehicle and trailer with a narcotics detector dog, who alerted to the odor of narcotics. Both men were detained while the vehicle and trailer were screened using a vehicle X-ray system,

which showed anomalies in the front of the trailer. CBP officers then opened a compartment built into the front of the trailer, finding 190 packages of marijuana hidden inside.