U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Border Agents Find a Ton (Literally, 2,000 Pounds) of Weed Hidden in Charcoal

Today in Found at the border: A Mexican national tried to smuggle 2,000 pounds of weed into the United States by hiding the stash in bricks of charcoal.Thanks to Wilhelm Röntgen's 1895 discovery of the X-ray, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were able to see late last week that the 1,000 ... More >>

More Than 200 Pounds of Cheese Seized at U.S./Mexico Border, for Second Time This Year

For the second time this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized hundreds of pounds of cheese from someone trying to drive a cheese-load into the United States from Mexico.Federal authorities say not only was this cheese undeclared, but it also was unpasteurized.See also:-230 Pounds of Chees ... More >>

ICE Detainee Commits Suicide, and a Not-So Modest Proposal

Watch A clip from The Undocumented on PBS. See more from Independent Lens. I have very little to go on with the press release below from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement concerning the "apparent suicide" at the Eloy Detention Center by a 24 year-old Guatemalan woman named Elsa Guadalupe-Gon ... More >>

Luis Gonzales Murillo Busted with 13 Pounds of Cocaine in Duffel Bags: Dimwit or Mastermind?

Customs and Border Patrol arrested a man who just tossed his cocaine into a duffel bag in the backseat of his car in an attempt to smuggle it across the border.  Luis Gonzales Murillo, 33, is a Mexican national from the state of Sonora, and allegedly tried to drive the drugs across the border i ... More >>

Bell Peppers Will Not Disguise 2,000 Pounds of Weed, Mexican National Discovers

A Mexican national discovered on Tuesday that a bunch of bell peppers won't conceal more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana from the authorities.U.S. Customs and Border Protection made the find while the man was attempting to enter the United States through a commercial facility in Nogales with the load ... More >>

Border Agents Find Women With Buckets of Chicken: Half Original Recipe, Half Meth

Unless someone's familiar with a Nogales-area establishment that sells chicken and meth in the same bucket, we'll have to rely on U.S. Customs and Border Protection's claim that it busted a smuggling attempt.Yes, the preferred method of smuggling in this attempt apparently was to hide multiple pound ... More >>

Luis Vasquez, Former Border Officer, Guilty of Letting 1,200 Pounds of Weed Roll Into U.S.

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who let 1,200 pounds of weed roll on into the United States on a truck from Mexico was found guilty of several charges by a federal jury.Luis Vasquez faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine at his sentencing, which is scheduled ... More >>

Border Patrol Arrests in Arizona Lowest in Nearly Two Decades

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say the last year Border Patrol apprehended fewer people than last year was almost two decades ago.The 124,631 "apprehensions" by Border Patrol in Arizona in 2012 is the lowest number in 19 years, and the agency says that's how they measure attempted bord ... More >>

230 Pounds of Cheese Seized at U.S./Mexico Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is proud to report that it has prevented 230 pounds of cheese from entering the United States of America.See also:-Drug Smugglers Now Shooting Weed Cannons Into United States-Border Crossing Gone Wrong: Jeep Gets Stuck on Top of 14-Foot Fence-Piñatas Used to Hide ... More >>

Border Crossing Gone Wrong: Jeep Gets Stuck on Top of 14-Foot Fence

For all the "build the dang fence" advocates, or people who like to laugh at idiots, here you go -- someone tried to drive over the border fence near Yuma yesterday, and failed.

Monica Parra of Ajo Stopped on Way to Mexico With Guns and 66,000 Rounds of Ammo

U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped an arsenal and about 66,000 rounds of ammunition from entering Mexico through a border gate intended only for Native Americans. Monica Parra, 41, was in a red Chevy pickup on September 29 headed toward the gate at Papago Farms, on the Tohono O'Odham Nation, when bo ... More >>

Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, Tosses Armed Militia into the Mix of Poorly Training Border Patrol Agents With Use of Force Issues

A recipe for disaster: U.S Customs and Border Patrol's lax policies over the use of lethal force. Inadequately trained agents sent to patrol rough desert terrain blanketed with fear and tension that's fueled by potential danger. A border-hawk sheriff putting weapons in the hands of unpaid civilia ... More >>

Jan Brewer Comments on Border Patrol Agent's Death by Going After Feds, Obama

You probably could've seen this coming, but Governor Jan Brewer just couldn't issue a comment on the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie without mentioning President Obama or his administration.While most public officials remained cordial with their remarks (for example, Attorney Gener ... More >>

Boy Scout Gets Lost in Santa Rita Mountains; Fairly Useless Scout Master Didn't Really Know Where He Was Either

Sending teenage boy scouts out overnight to fend for themselves in the middle of the Santa Rita Mountains -- a popular spot for human and drug smuggling -- might not be the brightest idea.It apparently sounded like a good idea to the troop masters of the 14-year-old Boy Scout who called 9-1-1 Wednes ... More >>

Ben Quayle Didn't Seem Upset With Immigration Policy Obama Announced Before the Name "Obama" Was Attached

Last month, Congressman Ben Quayle was talking about an idea for immigration policy that was being floated around, calling it "something that's intriguing, that we should be looking at."Quayle was on 12News explaining the idea of a "blue card," a way for people who were brought to the United States ... More >>

Were Eight Law Enforcement Agencies Necessary for Recovering Old Book of Mormon?

Yesterday, we informed you that it took eight law enforcement agencies to track down a guy who stole a first-edition book of Mormon.Jay Linford's been pegged by Mesa police as the guy who lifted the 182-year-old Book of Mormon from the Rare and Out of Print Books and Art store, and he was arrested ... More >>

First-Edition Book of Mormon Recovered With Help From Eight Law Enforcement Agencies

The theft of a first-edition Book of Mormon, we have discovered, is some serious shit.At least, it was to the eight law enforcement agencies investigating the matter.Jay Linford's been pegged by Mesa police as the guy who lifted the 182-year-old Book of Mormon from the Rare and Out of Print Books an ... More >>

Border Agent, Corrections Officer Charged With Helping Traffickers Smuggle Drugs Into U.S.

​A U.S. Border Patrol agent and a corrections officer with the Arizona Department of Correction were arrested yesterday on charges that they helped a drug trafficking organization (DTO) smuggle drugs into the United States.Ivhan Herrera-Chiang, 29, a U.S. Border Patrol agent stationed in Yuma, and ... More >>

Paul Babeu Doesn't Trust DOJ Report on Joe Arpaio's Racial Profiling Practices; Says Timing's Meant to Distract From "Fast and Furious"

Paul Babeu: I don't trust the feds.​Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says he hasn't had a chance to read the U.S. Department of Justice's report on Joe Arpaio's committing some of the worst acts of racial profiling in U.S. history, but that isn't stopping him from chiming in and bashing the f ... More >>

220 Pounds of Marijuana Found in Desert South of Yuma -- Not by You; Agents Prepare for Seasonal Ponche-Ingredient Smuggling

​ Yuma Border Patrol agents on Wednesday found about 220 pounds of marijuana in the desert south of Dateland -- we'll bet some of you wish you did, too.But Agent Ken Quillan advises against going on your own "treasure" hunt, despite the fact that smugglers do occasionally drop loads of dope in ... More >>

Immigrant Abuses at Hands of Border Patrol Agents Documented by Human Rights Organization

​No More Deaths, a Tucson-based human rights advocacy group, continues its push to end the abusive treatment immigrants suffer while in U.S. Border Patrol Custody.The group shares the stories of abuse, neglect and humiliation of 13,000 people detained by Border Patrol in a report released today -- ... More >>

"Fast and Furious" Guns Tracked to More Violent Crimes in Arizona, Including Some in Phoenix and Glendale, Feds Say

Bill Newell, former acting head of the ATF in Phoenix, helped oversee the scandal-plagued "Fast and Furious" investigation -- and recently received a promotion.​ Firearms linked to the scandal-ridden "Fast and Furious" investigation have turned up at 11 U.S. crime scenes, including four in Ari ... More >>

Nineteen Suspected Illegal Immigrants Stopped Near Stanfield, Including 10-Year-Old Girl

  ​A traffic stop near State Highways 347 and 84 on Saturday resulted in the apprehension of 12 suspected illegal immigrants, including a 10-year-old girl. Seven others got away. The undocumented travelers were in a caravan of three vehicles all going 75 mph in a 5 ... More >>

Christian Discrimination Alleged in Lawsuit by Customs and Border Protection Vehicle Mechanic

​   An auto mechanic for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency in Tucson says in a lawsuit that the agency and fellow employees are discriminating against him because he's a Christian. David Stanford, who's worked for the CBP's Tucson Sector Garage for about two yea ... More >>

Book Glamorizing Suicide Bombers Found in Arizona Desert

www.funnypicturesofanything.com​Department of Homeland Security officials confirm that a book glamorizing suicide bombers was found in the Arizona desert earlier this week. The book, "In Memory of Our Martyrs," was found Tuesday by a U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Casa Grande substation who wa ... More >>

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry: Fifth Suspect in Agent's Murder Still On The Loose

Border Patrol Brian A. Terry died in a gunbattle with desert bandits​U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was in the desert canyons of southeastern Arizona on Tuesday hunting down bajadores, or bandits, who lurk in the shadows and prey on the illegal border-crossers.Terry, 40, was shot and kill ... More >>

Cloaked Brutality: The Feds Bury Border Patrol Abuses of Immigrants, But What's Been Unearthed Reveals a Culture of Cruelty

Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shot Near Nogales. Four Suspects in Custody

www.jetdesigns.com​A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot while on patrol near Nogales Tuesday night.Authorities investigating the shooting aren't saying much about it at this point, only that the agent, 40-year-old Brian Terry, was killed about 11 p.m. yesterday near Peck Canyon while on pat ... More >>

76-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Smuggling Cocaine

www.bloodyelbow.com​Typically, senior citizens don't draw too much suspicion from law enforcement, so we're a little shocked to learn that a 76-year-old Mexican woman was arrested for smuggling more than $125,000 worth of cocaine across the U.S./ Mexico border earlier this week.According to offici ... More >>

Woman From Sells, Arizona Facing DUI, Negligent Homicide Charges In Death Of Border Agent

​If you needed a reminder not to drink and drive this holiday weekend ...A 40-year-old woman from Sells, Arizona is facing negligent homicide, criminal damage and driving under the influence charges in connection with the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Cops said that based on field sobriety ... More >>

Barack Obama's $600 Million Border Boondoggle

Obama: $600 million-tough on landscapers and nanniesSo President Barack Obama, who still talks a good game about "comprehensive immigration reform," has now signed a supplemental border security package worth $600 million to add 1,000 Border Patrol agents, as well as hundreds of new officers for Imm ... More >>

Anti-SB 1070 Billboard on Camelback Near Third Street by Brave New Foundation

A public service announcement brought to you by the Brave New Foundation project Cuentame Despite the fact that District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton ripped out most of SB 1070's spine on July 28, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's still doing his anti-Hispanic dragnets. And if other law enforcement age ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Not the Only Arizona Cop Enforcing Immigration Law

This disturbing video comes to us from Pan Left Productions, and purports to show a woman being turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol after a traffic stop by the Tucson Police Department. I've put in a call to the TPD, but have yet to receive a call back. On its face, the video shows that what happ ... More >>

Neo-Nazi J.T. Ready and the U.S. Border Patrol Collaborate on Drug Bust?

Ready, with what appears to be a U.S. Border Patrol vehicleThe latest round of photographs from neo-Nazi J.T. Ready's patrols in the Arizona desert shows the Mesa storm trooper getting chummy with the U.S. Border Patrol, even leaning on a Border Patrol vehicle at one point.There's a photo ... More >>

June 27 In Blogs: J.T. Ready, Illegal Immigrants, Wyclef Jean, Mucho Gusto, and Robberies

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Border Agents Seize Estimated $2.7 Million Worth of Weed Found in Abandoned Truck; No Arrests Made

www.photobucket.com​Border agents from the Casa Grande Station found a truck containing about 3,300 pounds of marijuana Monday morning near the checkpoint on Federal Route 15.According to Border Agent Colleen Agle, the weed was found when agents responded to suspected illegal activity in the ... More >>

Border Patrol Nabs More Than 4,100 Pounds of Weed -- Worth About $3.3 Million -- Over Memorial Day Weekend

U.S. Customs and Border Protection One of four busts made by Border Patrol agents last weekend. Those brown bundles can get ya high.​While you may have been busy grilling burgers over Memorial Day weekend, Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona were on the prowl for weed coming across th ... More >>

Arizona Border Patrol Agents Seize 3,000 Pounds of Weed in Three Days Without Making Single Arrest

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Willie Nelson's wet dream.​ Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station seized more weed in the last three days than you could probably smoke in a lifetime.In the last 72 hours, agents seized 3,000 pounds of weed, in three separate incidents, near the U.S./ ... More >>

Morning Poll -- Marijuana: Any Harder to Find After Border Patrol Seized More Than 622,000 Pounds in Five Months?

www.bongsbay.com​U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced yesterday that in the period between October 1, 2009, to April 31, of this year it's seized more than 622,000 pounds of weed. That was only in the Tucson sector. With Border Patrol agents seemingly waging war on weed -- inc ... More >>

U.S. Border Patrol Nabs More Than 1,600 Pounds of Weed in One Weekend

www.pollsb.com​U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona have been pretty busy in their war-against-weed, nabbing more than 1,600 pounds of the icky in three separate busts last weekend.The first of the weekend's three big busts happened Friday afternoon when agents working at a checkpoint on Hig ... More >>

More Than $700,000 Worth of Marijuana Found Stuffed in Matress at Border

www.uppermichiganssource.com​U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped a furniture truck at the Arizona/ Mexico border and, as luck should have it, the rig was hauling more than just furniture.Officers found about 330 pounds of weed stashed in a mattress in the back of the truck as ... More >>

Hot Links: Border Patrol, Toy Guns, and Ice Cream Trucks

​A new U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint opened near Tubac yesterday. The $1.5 million interim checkpoint along Interstate 19 is supposed to help catch illegal immigrants and drug runners, but residents in the Santa Cruz Valley say it will hurt businesses and endanger neighborhoods...A former Rhodes J ... More >>

Border Patrol Seizes 971 Pounds of Marijuana Being Carried on Horseback

U.S. Border PatrolOne of several horses border agents say were used to bring more than 900 pounds of pot over the border​U.S. Border Patrol Agents made two substantial drug busts this week resulting in the seizure of about 2,400 pounds of weed, 971 of which were being moved on horseback.On Sunday ... More >>

Steven Anderson's Yuma City Warrant for "Disorderly Conduct," and RP4409's Moronic Misuse of the Word "Nazi" (w/Update)

  Watch this, and tell me truthfully, who do you feel for, these two guys, or the nudnik operating the camera? Look, I'm no fan of the U.S. Border Patrol. Or of checkpoints. Or of police power in general. I think anyone familiar with this blog knows that. But it's a tribute to both Obama- ... More >>

Arizona Pot Seizures at All Time High

​Pot is one hot commodity this year -- at least, judging by the insanely large loads the U.S. Border Patrol have seized this summer. During the month of July alone, Tucson seized more than 100,000 pounds of pot -- bringing the total poundage to 1,065,325 this year. That's well above the 722,0 ... More >>

Mexican Standoff

Luchadores play out social issues on the mat

"Liquid Meth" Seized Near Border; California Man Arrested

A California man tried to drive through the international border at Naco last week with about 13 pounds of liquid meth in his pickup's windshield washer reservoir. The find is part of an ongoing trend in the world of illegal drugs to package methamphetamine in ways that make smuggling easier and gi ... More >>

Hot Links: Swine Flu, Cardinals, and Jedi Mind Tricks

Although no cases of swine flu have been reported in Arizona, officials are taking precautions: The Arizona Department of Health is talking with Centers for Disease Control, doctors are urging people with flu-like symptoms to stay home from work, and US Airways is waiving its change fees fo ... More >>

Inspectors Can Do Little to Stem Tide of Smuggling

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