see also: in July 2008:   CBP Discovers 2.7 Tons of Marijuana on Cargo Box Truck   Holiday Travel Reminder for Northwest Border Crossers   Current, Former CBP Employees Assist in Arrest of Purse Snatchers   CBP Officers Arrest Man Wanted for Failure to Register as Sex Offender   California SENTRI Participant in Hot Water, CBP Finds Dope in Vehicle   CBP Officers Arrest Man Wanted for Aggravated Sexual Assault on Minor   CBP Revokes Trusted Traveler Privileges After Finding Prohibited Items During Inspection ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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San Luis, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the San Luis port of entry seized over 300 pounds of Marijuana in four separate instances from this past Friday to Monday, arresting four persons in connection with the failed smuggling attempts.

"These interceptions demonstrate that our officers are committed to enforcing the laws of the U.S. and interdicting narcotics as they are brought across the border illegally," said Port Director William K. Brooks, and added "officers use their observational skills and are able to determine if any particular vehicle merits a closer look".

The narcotics seizure on Friday happened at about 09:40 am, when a CBP Officer screening incoming vehicles became suspicious of the driver of a 1997 Range Rover SUV and sent her in for inspection. Based on her answers to routine questions and discrepancies with the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and discovered that two 5-gallon containers and the spare tire were loaded. Officers removed a total of 28 packages of marijuana, weighing more than 64 pounds, which were seized along with the vehicle. The driver, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

The 2nd narcotics seizure happened on Saturday at about 6:05 am, when a CBP Officer screening incoming vehicles became suspicious of the driver of a 1995 Dodge Caravan and sent him in for inspection. Based on his answers to routine questions and discrepancies with the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and discovered that the driver’s side wall, the dashboard, and the spare tire were loaded. A total of 45 packages of marijuana, weighing more than 71 pounds, were seized along with the vehicle. The driver, a 48-year-old Lawful Permanent Resident, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

The 3rd narcotics seizure happened on Monday at about 6:25 pm, when a CBP Officer screening incoming vehicles became suspicious of the driver of a 1992 Ford Explorer SUV and sent him in for inspection. Based on his answers to routine questions and discrepancies with the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and discovered that the rear quarter panels were loaded. A total of 44 packages of marijuana were removed, weighing about 113 pounds, which were seized along with the vehicle. The driver, an 18-year-old citizen of Mexico, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

The 4th narcotics seizure happened on Monday at about 8:45 pm, when a CBP Officer screening incoming vehicles became suspicious of the driver of a 1999 Ford Explorer SUV and sent him in for inspection. Based on his answers to routine questions and discrepancies with the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle thoroughly and discovered that the gas tank was loaded. When officers opened the tank, they removed a total of 38 packages of marijuana, weighing about 44 pounds, which were seized along with the vehicle. The driver, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.

The Office of Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.