SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — What began as a routine immigration checkpoint stop ended with a big cocaine seizure after U.S. Border Patrol agents uncovered more than 5 kilograms of the drug hidden inside a vehicle near Nogales.
According to a social media post from the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector, agents referred a silver Infiniti G35 to secondary inspection at the Interstate 19 checkpoint north of Nogales. While the driver waited outside the vehicle, agents discovered six bundles of cocaine concealed inside a cardboard box behind the front passenger seat.
Border Patrol said the seizure totaled more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, preventing the narcotics from reaching communities. The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the suspected cocaine, the vehicle and the driver. Authorities did not release the driver's identity or any potential criminal charges.
The latest seizure adds to a growing list of major narcotics interdictions reported across Southern Arizona this year. In May, KGUN 9 reported that Border Patrol agents seized more than 31 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine during a checkpoint stop at the Amado I-19 checkpoint after a K-9 alerted to a Chevrolet Malibu. The drugs had an estimated street value of more than $322,000, and the driver was arrested.
Related: K9's super sniff nabs $322K in drugs at Amado checkpoint bust
Just weeks later, the Pima County Sheriff's Department announced that K-9 Rocco helped deputies uncover nearly 73 pounds of cocaine hidden inside a trailer during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Houghton Road. The driver was arrested on multiple narcotics-for-sale charges after investigators also recovered cash from the vehicle.
Related: K-9 Rocco sniffs out nearly 73 pounds of cocaine during I-10 traffic stop
The I-19 corridor remains one of Southern Arizona's busiest routes for immigration enforcement and drug interdiction, with Border Patrol checkpoint inspections and K-9 teams regularly intercepting narcotics being transported farther into the United States.
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