TUCSON ARIZ: Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Mexican national and Chandler, Arizona woman during separate smuggling attempts at the Port of Nogales.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Juan Carlos Santos-Soto, 36, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for a secondary inspection of his Nissan sedan when he attempted to enter the United States. During the inspection, a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs within a false compartment in the vehicle’s center console. Officers then removed four packages of cocaine weighing nearly 10 pounds and valued at more than $103,000.
Officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested Dina Consuelo Blair, 47, after a narcotics service canine helped them locate nearly eight pounds of heroin inside suitcases in her Ford truck. The drugs are valued at $107,000.
Officers processed both vehicles and drugs for seizure, and referred both individuals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
