Monday, October 31, 2011

Nogales CBP Officers Seize Marijuana Worth nearly $500,000



 
 
Nogales, Ariz. — Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office, a component of CBP’s Joint Field Command – Arizona, seized a shipment of marijuana Thursday worth almost $485,000.
 click for hi-resMarijuana concealed in slate stone.
Marijuana concealed in slate stone.
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Officers at the Mariposa Commercial Port referred a 47-year-old Rio Rico resident to a non-intrusive x-ray of his Kenworth truck when he applied for entry into the United States. An x-ray of his slate-stone cargo revealed an anomaly in the shipment, resulting in a physical inspection. Officers broke open one of the stones and discovered a package of marijuana inside. The shipment contained 377 packages weighing nearly 970 pounds. The marijuana and vehicle were processed for seizure. The driver was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.




 click for hi-resOnce hidden inside slate stone, 377 packages of marijuana were discovered.
Once hidden inside slate stone, 377 packages of marijuana were discovered.
Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP announced the JFC-AZ in February 2011 as an organizational realignment that brings together the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors and Air Branches, as well as the Tucson Field Office, under a unified command structure. JFC-AZ integrates CBP’s border security, commercial enforcement and trade facilitation missions to more effectively meet the unique challenges faced in Arizona. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona or visit us at the CBP Arizona website for more information. ( CBP Arizona