Nogales CBP Officers Make Significant Drug Seizure

Marijuana Hidden in Shipment of Produce

Nogales, Ariz. - Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office, a component of CBP’s Joint Field Command-Arizona, seized almost 3,000 pounds of marijuana worth nearly $1.5 million discovered Monday evening hidden in a shipment of watermelons.

Nogales CBP officers referred a 44-year-old Mexican man for a non-intrusive X-ray inspection of his Volvo truck when he attempted to enter the United States at the Mariposa Commercial Port. The X-ray operator noticed an anomaly in the shipment, prompting a physical inspection. Officers then discovered 128 bundles of marijuana weighing 2,981 pounds co-mingled with the produce. The marijuana and tractor-trailer were processed for seizure. The driver was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

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's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. OFO 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 duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona or visit us at the CBP Arizona website for more information. 

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.