Nogales agents seize nearly $600K in hard drugs

Posted Aug 21, 2015

Paul Ingram
TucsonSentinel.com

CBPOfficers at the Mariposa Port of Entry arrested a Mexican national Monday after they found eight pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $24,000 in the air filters of a Ford truck.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested three Mexican men and seized 55 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine worth more than $598,000 at the ports of entry in Nogales early this week, authorities said.

On Monday, officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested Mexican national Noe Fernando Renteria-Rodriguez, 34, from Nogales, Sonora after a drug dog led agents to discover more than eight pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $24,000 hidden in the Ford truck he was driving.

The foil-wrapped packages were stashed in the vehicle's air filter.

Tuesday, officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing arrested Ismael Haro-Gutierrez, 32, from Nogales, Sonora when they found 13 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $138,000, stashed in the rear quarter-panel of his Jeep SUV, the agency said in a press release.

Later that day, officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested two men for smuggling.

Officers arrested Antonio Delgado-Nunez, 52, from Magdalena, Sonora after a drug dog led officers to more than nine pounds of cocaine worth more than $98,000 hidden in the vehicle's seats.

A short time later, officers arrested Francisco Verdugo-Martinez, 25, from Nogales, Sonora after they found 24 pounds of heroin worth nearly $338,000 hidden in the vehicle's roof, the release said.

All the drugs and vehicles were seized and those arrested were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the agency said.