CBP Officers Seize Marijuana At Southern Arizona Port

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Aggravated Felon also Arrested

Douglas, AZ — In separate incidents on Monday, U.S. CBP officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office seized a shipment of marijuana and prevented an aggravated felon from entering the United States.

Early Monday morning, a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old U.S. man from Douglas, Ariz. attempted to enter the United States through a vehicle lane at the Douglas, Ariz. Port and were referred to a secondary inspection area. An initial search of the vehicle by a narcotics detection canine led to an alert for drugs inside the vehicle. A further search by officers, led to the discovery of non-factory compartments with trap doors in the wheel wells. Officers then removed a total of 45 packages of marijuana with a total weight of more than 53 pounds and an estimated value of $26,500. Both men were taken into custody, but only the passenger was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for prosecution. The driver was released without further incident.

In addition, a 24-year-old Sedona, Ariz. man attempted to enter the United States as a passenger on a commercial shuttle bus, at the Douglas Port and was referred to an area for additional questioning. A routine records check on the subject determined that he was wanted on an Outstanding Arrest Warrant on drug charges. The man was taken into custody and turned over to Douglas Police without further incident.

Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP announced the JFC-AZ in February 2011 as an organizational realignment that brings together the U.S. Border Patrol, Air and Marine, and Field Operations under a unified command structure. The JFC-AZ integrates CBP’s border security, commercial enforcement, and trade facilitation missions to more effectively meet the unique challenges faced in the Arizona area of operations.

CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked primarily with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.