3,000 pounds of meth found within auto parts shipment at Arizona border

PHOENIX –Border officers arrested a Mexican man for attempting to smuggle more than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine into Arizona, authorities said.

Officers at the Mariposa Commercial Facility in Nogales on Wednesday said after a tractor trailer drove through, they proceeded with further inspection of the vehicle driven by a 21-year-old Mexican native, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations press release.

A narcotics canine, through a non-intrusive detection, made a positive alert which led to the discovery of more than 470 packages of methamphetamine hidden within the shipment of commercial auto parts, authorities said.

The drugs were determined to have weighed approximately 3,280 pounds, according to the release.

The driver was arrested and turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

“While CBP officers facilitate legitimate trade and travel, they remain focused on our highest priorities which includes stopping the flow of hard narcotics such as methamphetamine and opioids from entering our country,” Guadalupe Ramirez, director of field operations, said in the release.

“Our officers prevented these dangerous drugs from causing devastation to families and ultimately saving many lives, not only in our community but throughout the United States.”

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