Cop-car chase vs. drug suspect shuts port of entry in Nogales

By Brady McCombs

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A car chase of a suspected drug smuggler through downtown Nogales forced the closure of southbound lanes at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry for about an hour Friday morning.

At about 9:30 a.m., officers with the Santa Cruz Metro Task Force attempted to stop two vehicles in separate places that they suspected were used to smuggle drugs, said Vincent Picard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.

Members of the law enforcement team were working from information obtained in an ongoing, multi-agency investigation of suspected smuggling activity, he said.

The first attempt occurred on Mariposa Road when officers tried to stop a white Chevy Blazer, Picard said.

The driver ignored the officers and continued south into Mexico through the Mariposa port of entry, west of the city center, Picard said.

Meanwhile, other officers attempted to stop a red Chevy Blazer on Grand Avenue in downtown Nogales, he said.

The driver fled through downtown Nogales and then doubled back toward the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry.

With two Santa Cruz Metro vehicles in pursuit, the red Blazer rammed into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle that was blocking his path into Mexico, pushed it aside and continued south through the port, Picard said.

Mexican Customs officials stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver, said Arturo Ramírez Camacho, Nogales police chief. His officers offered assistance to Mexican Customs officers, who stopped the Blazer, he said.