Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales Ports of Entry had a busy weekend recently with drug seizures and the recovery of a stolen auto. Then on Monday, Oct. 26, officers seized $204,000 hidden in a vehicle dashboard.

Edith Serrano, a CBP spokesperson, gave the following account of the enforcement actions.

On Friday, Oct. 23, officers screening travelers at the DeConcini Port of Entry referred a 2001 Ford Expedition and its five occupants for an intensive inspection.

A narcotics-detecting dog alerted officers to the presence of drugs in the floorboard of the vehicle. Inspectors found 39 packages of marijuana hidden in a non-factory compartment under the seats. The approximate weight of the weed was 59 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $140,448.

The next day, at approximately 5:15 a.m., officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry discovered a 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage that had been abandoned at the port.

In the back seat, they found two backpacks containing nearly 135 pounds marijuana with a street value of more than $323,000.

Later that same morning, CBP officers inspecting vehicles and travelers entering the United States picked out a 1989 Ford F-250 pick-up truck driven by a 27 year-old man from Sonora. A trained CBP dog sniffed out the odor of drugs in the gas tank. Officers then used a mobile X-ray unit and found an “anomaly.” Officers discovered 33 packages of marijuana in the tank weighing about 110 pounds with a value of more than $262,000.

Back at the DeConcini POE on Saturday morning, officers with the help of a canine seized more marijuana hidden in a 1998 Chevrolet Suburban, driven by another 27-year-old man from Sonora.

Officers discovered 10 packages of marijuana weighing 45 pounds hidden in a non-factory compartment in the rear of the vehicle. Sold on the street, the weed would net nearly $107,000.

As the day continued at DeConcini, a 1995 Chevy Blazer driven by a 30-year-old Mexican man was selected for inspection. A CBP dog smelled narcotics in the rear passenger quarter panel of the vehicle. Officers found nearly 10 pounds of cocaine and about three pounds of heroin, inside the compartment. The combined estimated street value was more than $477,000.

Then at about 4:30 p.m., officers at DeConcini stopped a 2005 Jeep Wrangler, driven by a 14-year-old male from Tucson. They checked law enforcement data systems and discovered that the Jeep was reported stolen in Tucson. They took the driver and vehicle into custody and turned them over to the Nogales Police Department.

On Monday at about 6:25 p.m., CBP and Nogales Police officers conducting inspections of vehicles leaving the United States selected a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta for examination.� The vehicle was occupied by two men from Sonora, Mexico.

They found 17 packages of U.S. currency hidden in a compartment in the dash of the vehicle, containing about $204,000.

Those arrested were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.