TUCSON: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two U.S. citizens and two Mexican nationals for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 101 pounds of drugs in separate incidents through the Port of Nogales.
23-year-old Manuel Gomez-Rivas was taken into custody after a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted the officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing to 41 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the front wheel wells of the Culiacan, Sonora resident’s Ford sedan. The drugs were valued at over $123,000.
The same day, Shawn Jeannine Emmons of Benson, Ariz. was apprehended after a CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted the officer at the Mariposa crossing of more than 17 pounds of cocaine and almost 10 pounds of methamphetamine hidden 53-year-old Emmons’ Dodge truck. The narcotics had a combined value of about $210,000.
Two days later, Aug. 13, Tucsonan Xavier Rabago Bolivar was taken into custody at the DeConcini crossing. A CBP-narcotics detection canine alerted the officers to 10 pounds of meth, which had an estimated value of over $31,000, in the rear bumper area of the 26-year-old’s Ford Truck.
That same day, Dennis DeConcini crossing officers arrested Nogales, Sonora resident, Luis Angel Verdugo-Robles, for attempting to smuggle nearly 16 pounds of methamphetamine and over seven pounds of cocaine. The officers found the nearly $47,000 of methamphetamine and almost $76,000 of cocaine inside 32-year-old Verdugo-Robles’ Ford sedan.
The narcotics and the vehicles were processed for seizure. The suspects were referred to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
