02/10/2010

CBP Officers in Arizona Seize $81,000 Worth of Marijuana

Nogales, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers yesterday stopped a drug smuggling attempt when they seized nearly 36 pounds of marijuana concealed in the gas tank of a vehicle.


CBP officers at the Nogales, Ariz. port of entry were screening travelers when they came in contact with an 18-year-old man at about 7 p.m. driving a 1994 Jeep Cherokee. The man was identified as a Mexican national and resident of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.


The officers selected the vehicle for inspection. With the assistance of a special trained detector dog team, CBP officers searched the vehicle and discovered that the gas tank had packages of marijuana floating in the tank. About 36 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value $81,000 were removed from the gas tank.


CBP seized the vehicle and marijuana. The man was turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution.


While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/02082010_3.xml