CBP Officers Seize Marijuana Worth $43,000

Nogales, Ariz. — A 53-year-old male Mexican national was arrested Monday for attempting to smuggle nearly 87 pounds of marijuana into the United States through the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry.

Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 80 packages, worth an estimated $43,000, concealed inside metal compartments within all four of the truck’s tires after a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the vehicle.

The subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and vehicle were seized.

Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 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.