Nogales CBP Officers Seize Cocaine Valued at nearly $250,000

Nogales, Ariz. — Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office seized more than 27 pounds of cocaine, valued at nearly $250,000, at the Dennis DeConcini Port Friday.

A 20-year-old Mexican male, attempting to enter the United States, was selected for a secondary inspection of his Chevrolet van. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs, the van was taken to a vehicle lift where officers located 10 packages of cocaine inside a non-factory compartment. The drugs and vehicle were processed for seizure. The man 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. 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.

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.