Posted by AP February 17, 2005
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Border Patrol Seizes over $15 million in
Cocaine
United States Citizen arrested
Tucson, AZ -- Yesterday, agents assigned to the Casa Grande Station seized 472 pounds of cocaine near San Miguel, Arizona.
At approximately 12:45 p.m., agents observed a 1979 brown Ford pick-up truck cross, from Mexico, into the United States through the San Miguel Gate, on the Tohono O'odham Nation. As the agent was performing an immigration inspection on the driver, he noticed that the walls in the bed of the pick-up had been tampered with. The agent notified the Tohono O'odham Police Department (TOPD), who sent a K9 Officer to assist. The TOPD K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the pick-up. The walls were opened, revealing a false compartment, which contained 190 small bundles of cocaine, weighing 471.8 pounds. The cocaine is estimated to be worth over $15 million.
The smuggler, a male 42-year-old United States Citizen, was arrested on site. He, along with the vehicle and cocaine were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Since October 1, 2004, agents in the Tucson Sector have interdicted and seized 1,211.64 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $38.7 million. The Border Patrol is a division of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders.
