see also: in October 2007 News Releases:   Cocaine Smuggler Tries To Trick El Paso CBP Officers by Hiding Drugs in Car Body   Border Patrol Agents in Texas Seize Marijuana Worth $1 Million Hidden Under Watermelons   Fingerprint Check Allows Border Patrol to Arrest Murder Suspect   Border Patrol Texas Task Force Seizes 500 Pounds of Marijuana   CBP Officers at Mail Facility Find Marijuana in Cement Statues, Opium   Tecate, Calif. Cargo Processing Port to Resume Operations Wednesday Morning   CBP at Newark Airport Discovers Man with Fraudulent Documents, False Claim to U.S. Citizenship ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Phoenix – A mother and daughter, both wanted in Florida on charges of racketeering, were apprehended by alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Wednesday night.

While screening passengers arriving from Mexico City, CBP officers examined documents belonging to 24-year-old Silvana Theurell-Portillo. While asking routine questions of Theurell-Portillo, the officers queried her name in their systems and discovered that she was a fugitive, wanted in St. Lucie County, Fla. on gambling and racketeering charges.

During questioning of her mother, 65-year-old Marina Portillo, CBP officers discovered that she also was wanted on similar charges in Florida.

“In addition to our primary mission of anti-terrorism, protecting the nation from other threats, such as individuals attempting to flee from justice, is an important aspect of the CBP officer’s duties,” said Port Director Don Anderson, “Our officers do a fantastic job protecting the nation by arresting these fugitives from justice and taking them off the streets.”

Both women, Mexican citizens living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were taken into custody by CBP officers and held until officers with the Phoenix Police Department arrived to take custody of them.

These apprehensions are a direct result of name queries performed during primary inspections, as well as CBP officers’ ability to follow through and investigate suspicions raised during questioning and inspections.

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 the 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.