NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of semi-trucks and vans carry commercial goods into the U.S. every day through the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales.
Customs and Border Protection uses a multi-layer approach to inspect that cargo, including interviews with drivers, K9s and X-rays.
RELATED: Fentanyl seizures down, but Nogales still leads all ports of entry
Port Director Michael Humphries says recently, CBP officers found 275 pounds of meth inside Coca-Cola cases, with fake bottles hiding a void in the center of a case.
“The majority [of drug busts] comes through the passenger area,” Humphries explained. “But when we get one in cargo, it’s gonna be huge.”
Humphries expanded on the process of searching a truck during inspection.
“We’re gonna offload the whole truck so we can run K9 in there, so we can get inside and look for new rivets, new screws, anything that disturbed the area,” he said. “If we’re looking for narcotics, we’re gonna get out a little pallet X-Ray or a baggage X-Ray, and we’re gonna run through individual boxes. We’re gonna open boxes. Especially if we find one package [of drugs], then we’re pretty much gonna dismantle everything in that truck.”
Other inspection methods are non-intrusive.
Humphries says in the last two years the port installed two Multi-Energy Portals (MEP), which are more advanced X-rays. They allow drivers to stay in their trucks while being scanned.
The port went from being able to X-ray roughly 120 trucks a day to 700, Humphries said.
“Without slowing the economy, without slowing the entrance of goods,” he added.
But the busiest time of year, typically in the winter, brings nearly 2,000 trucks to the port every day. The MEP technology only covers about a third of that.
“The X-Ray, the K9s, the officers, all have a big part [in inspections],” said Humphries.
Officers also check for everything from pests inside fruit to counterfeit items. They are tasked with keeping the economy moving, and Americans safe.
“We enforce the laws of over 40 federal agencies,” said Humphries.
——-
Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.