CBP officers make pot busts at San Luis port of entry

July 22, 2008 - 4:08PM

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Officers at the San Luis, Ariz., port of entry seized more than 440 pounds of marijuana and arrested six people suspected of trying to smuggle the pot into the country in recent days.

The total value of the pot was estimated at $719,000, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The names of those arrested were not immediately available.

The first of the drug interceptions was July 16 when CBP officers seized 135 pounds of marijuana hidden in compartments built into various areas of a 1997 Dodge pickup. The driver, a 35-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested, CBP said.

The next seizure of pot took place Friday afternoon when officers found 52 pounds of marijuana hidden in the dashboard of a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu, CBP said. The pot was discovered after a narcotics detector dog alerted officers to the odor of drugs, CBP said.

The driver, a 21-year-old man from California, was arrested.

Nearly 90 pounds of pot were found Saturday afternoon inside a 1994 Pontiac Bonneville after another CBP dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. A 41-year-old woman from Mexico who was driving the vehicle was arrested, CBP said.

Three more drug busts occurred at the port Sunday morning and in the afternoon.

In the first, at about 5 a.m., CBP officers seized 35 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a 2000 Cadillac Catera after a dog alerted officers to the odor of narcotics. The driver, a 22-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested.

Shortly before 1 p.m., officers seized more than 73 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a speaker box in the trunk 1994 Honda Accord. 16-year-old Arizona girl who was driving the car was arrested, CBP said.

At about 4 p.m. Sunday, officers seized 58 pounds of marijuana hidden in the gas tank of a Chevrolet pickup. The driver, a 24-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested.