CBP nabs $1.3 million in drugs over weekend

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in San Luis, Ariz., seized more than $1.3 million in drugs during the weekend in three separate incidents.

Area resident Nancy Martinez, 22, was referred for a secondary inspection of her Chevy van Friday after a service canine alerted to the rear lift-gate area of the vehicle. Officers then discovered 20 packages of methamphetamine weighing more than 13 pounds and valued at nearly $338,000.

Another local resident, Maria Soliz-Perez, 29, was referred for a secondary inspection of her Hyundai SUV Friday evening. A positive alert by a canine unit led officers to a compartment in the rear of the SUV, where they found 30 packages of cocaine weighing more than 78 pounds and valued at nearly $712,000.

In the final incident, Yuma resident Manuel Rodriguez-Guerrero, 69, was arrested Saturday after officers found more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine inside his vehicle. The seizure took place after Rodriguez-Guerrero was referred for a secondary search of his Chevy van and a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs inside the frame rail. Officers removed 13 packages worth $206,300.

According to CBP, in each incident the drugs were seized and the subjects were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.