Attempt to smuggle 53 pounds of meth results in arrest at Arizona port of entry

The drugs have a street value of nearly $50,000.

Image: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested a 24-year-old woman on Sept. 2 at the Port of Lukeville, AZ, for attempting to smuggle 53 pounds of methamphetamine from Mexico to the U.S., CBP announced Sept. 3.

The drugs have a street value of almost $48,000, the agency said.

Officers referred the Mexican national for secondary inspection of her Nissan sedan as she applied to enter the U.S. on the night of Sept. 2, CBP said.

A narcotics canine alerted CBP officers to several packages of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s rocker panels, and CBP officers arrested the woman and turned her over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as the drugs and vehicle were seized.

“I am incredibly proud of our officers,” Lukeville Port Director Peter Bachelier said in a statement. “They remain focused on their mission of protecting our nation’s borders.”

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Brian Bradley

Based in Washington, D.C., Brian covers international trade policy for American Shipper and FreightWaves. In the past, he covered nuclear defense, environmental cleanup, crime, sports, and trade at various industry and local publications.