SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
Nogales CBP Officers Seize $467K in Hard Drugs
Customs and Border Protection officers took a Tucson woman into custody for an alleged attempt to smuggle a combined 53 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine through the Port of Nogales.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Carissa Corona, 29, of Tucson for a secondary search of her vehicle, which led to the discovery of more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine valued in excess of $40,000 as well as nearly 41 pounds of cocaine worth more than $426,000.
Officers seized the drugs and vehicle, while Corona was arrested and referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
CBP officers at the DeConcini crossing were led to the discovery of meth and cocaine within a smuggling vehicle by a narcotics detection canine
