Arizona CBP officers seize heroin, meth and fentanyl stashed in vehicle near US-Mexico border
NOGALES, Ariz. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found a massive load of drugs Saturday at the Arizona-Mexico border as they confiscated several types of drugs hidden inside a gas tank and other parts of a vehicle, officials said.
The stash was seized at the Nogales border checkpoint when agents found 2.5 pounds of black tar heroin, nine pounds of heroin and 89 pounds of methamphetamine.
The biggest find was the 320,000 fentanyl pills, tweeted Michael Humphries, the port director for the Port of Nogales.
The drugs were allegedly hidden inside a gas tank and the side and rocker panels of a vehicle attempting to enter the United States, authorities said.
In another bust on Saturday, authorities confiscated more than 40 pounds of drugs and another 150,000 fentanyl pills hidden inside the rocker panels of a different vehicle.
MORE: CBP: Woman tried to cross border with condom filled with fentanyl pills in her vaginal cavity
Agents are seeing more drug smuggling attempts as the situation at the border continues to escalate. A Texas man was recently given 11 years in prison for trying to smuggle drugs inside the tires of a pickup truck.
MORE: Border Patrol agents in Texas discover migrants smuggled inside toolboxes at checkpoint
That attempt came a day after he was arrested for trying to smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S.
"Stopping the flow of opioids and other dangerous hard narcotics is one of our highest priorities," said Michael Humphries, CBP Area Port Director of the Nogales Port of Entry. "This year, I think we have already surpassed totals last year for fentanyl. We are up over probably close to 6 million tablets seized at the Nogales Port of Entry this fiscal year."