$230,000 Worth of Marijuana Seized by CBP Officers at Arizona Port of Entry

Friday, April 25, 2008

San Luis, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting border security operations at the port of entry in San Luis, Ariz. arrested a 33-year-old man yesterday evening after finding 144 pounds of marijuana hidden throughout the vehicle he was driving.

“The smuggling organizations will use every imaginable concealment method in an attempt to get by us,” said Port Director William K. Brooks, “but our officers are up to the task as seen with yesterday’s failed smuggling attempt.”

At approximately 11 p.m. on Wednesday, a CBP officer working at the San Luis port of entry screening travelers applying for entry into the United States became suspicious of the Lawful Permanent Resident driver of a 1998 Ford Expedition and referred him to the vehicle secondary area for further inspection due to inconsistencies within the vehicle and his nervous behavior. Once in secondary, another CBP officer began the thorough inspection and discovered some more inconsistencies within the vehicle. A narcotic detector dog was then utilized and alerted to the vehicle confirming the probability of drugs. The officers subsequently discovered a total of 66 packages of marijuana throughout the vehicle.

The marijuana, weighed approximately 144 pounds, and has a street value estimated to be $230,000.