Douglas, Ariz – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Douglas port of entry foiled on Thanksgiving day two narcotics smuggling attempts totaling 450 pounds of marijuana and worth more than $729,000, officials announced today.

“Smugglers try to blend in with legitimate traffic,” said Port Director Michael Humphries, “and it’s often a combination of our officers’ suspicions and our canine partners that result in stopping what appears to be an otherwise normal border crossing, but in reality is an attempt to sneak dangerous drugs into the country.”

The first seizure happened yesterday morning just after 8:30 a.m., when a 21-year old male and Mexican national driving a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta applied for entry into the United  States through the vehicle primary lanes.  A Customs and Border Protection officer screening travelers waiting to enter the U.S. selected the driver and vehicle for inspection due to discrepancies to the vehicle.

The vehicle was escorted to the secondary lot where the officers continued the intensive inspection along with the assistance of a narcotic detector dog.  The dog alerted the officers to the rear area of the vehicle where 62 packages of marijuana were discovered totaling over 400 pounds.   

At around 3:30 p.m., CBP officers also seized almost 50 pounds of marijuana and arrested a 19-year-old male and United States citizen after finding five packages of the drug hidden inside the spare tire of a 1997 Ford Taurus.

The vehicles and marijuana were seized and case was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

 The Office of Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States.   Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.