TUCSON, Ariz. – Customs and Border Protection officers at the DeConcini crossing Jan. 18 selected a Mercedes sedan, driven by Marisol Lizbeth Cardenas-Monzon, 20, of Casa Grande, Arizona, for additional inspection. When officers checked the spare tire, inside they found 17.5 pounds of heroin, worth nearly $247,000; more than seven pounds of cocaine, worth approximately $77,000; and over 20 pounds of methamphetamine, valued in excess of $61,000.
In other searches, officers working at the Mariposa crossing Jan. 18 referred a Ford sedan for further inspection. After questioning the driver, Jose Urquidez, 51, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, officers searched the vehicle and found nearly 24 pounds of heroin worth an estimated $335,000.
On Jan. 13, officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred Cesar Ivan Cruz-Medina, 28, of Amarillo, Texas, for further inspection of his Chevrolet truck. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs that turned out to be more than 94 pounds of marijuana worth approximately $47,000.
Officers working at the DeConcini crossing Jan. 15 referred a KIA SUV, driven by Pedro Jesus Bacame, 22, of Tucson, for further inspection and found more than 34 pounds of meth worth slightly more than $103,000.
On Jan. 17, officers at the DeConcini crossing referred Fernando Franco, 28, of Rio Rico, Arizona, for a secondary inspection of his Ford and found nearly 23 pounds of cocaine worth in excess of $239,000, inside of the truck’s radiator.
