Two arrested for drugs at port of entry

Customs and Border Protection officers stopped two vehicles smuggling drugs that attempted to cross just hours apart from each other Thursday at the Andrade port of entry.

The drivers — Diana E. Lozoya, 29, and Ruben Alonzo Chavez, 49, both of Mexico — were each taken into custody and booked into county jail on suspicion of unlawful importation of a controlled substance, county Sheriff’s Office arrest records stated.

The first arrest occurred when Lozoya applied for entry at the port about 1:08 p.m. in a 2007 Dodge Nitro while accompanied by her minor child.

Lozoya’s vehicle was referred to secondary inspection as a result of a system-generated alert, a federal court complaint stated.

In secondary inspection, a human-narcotics detection dog alerted to an area near the Dodge’s gas tank.

Further inspection resulted in the reported discovery of 52 packages concealed within the gas tank and the right rear passenger door.

The packages had a combined weight of 56.23 pounds and field-tested positive for meth.

The second arrest occurred when Chavez applied for entry about 3:30 p.m. at the port as the sole occupant of a blue Ford F-150.

A CBP officer referred the vehicle to secondary inspection, where a human-narcotics detection dog alerted to the fuel tank area of the vehicle.

Further inspection of the vehicle reportedly revealed 52 packages concealed within the fuel tank, 30 packages concealed inside the spare tire and four packages hidden behind the driver’s seat.

The packages had a combined weight of 151.14 pounds and field-tested positive for meth, a federal court complaint stated.