Customs and Border Protection officers were on it this weekend, confiscating nearly 480 pounds of marijuana at the United States-Mexico border near Douglas, Arizona in a series of incidents.
Drug mules carrying large amounts of marijuana over the border in this area is continuing to be a common occurrence.
The Border Patrol regularly combs the Sonoran desert looking for both Mexican nationals and illegal marijuana trafficking. The Sonoran desert is a gateway into America, stretching from Southwestern Arizona into Southeast California.
At least three seizures were made at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona. On May 6, officers flagged an Isuzu SUV driven by a 23-year-old woman from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. Upon inspection, a narcotics detection K-9 uncovered 200 bundles containing 277 pounds of marijuana, which authorities claim is worth more than $138,000 in street value.
The same day, a 24-year-old woman was arrested in a separate incident. Authorities found 132 pounds of marijuana deep in her Chevrolet sedan totaling $66,000. A third case, on May 8, involved a 30-year-old man who was caught with 70 pounds of marijuana equating to over $35,000 in his Ford sedan.
The subjects were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. An additional 350 pounds of abandoned marijuana was also found in the area. The vehicles and drugs were seized by police. U.S. Customs and Border Protection prides itself by “keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country.”
