AZMEX UPDATE 5 FEB 2013
Feds seize nearly 38 pounds of meth at Arizona border
By Associated Press
Originally published: Feb 5, 2013 - 6:29 am\
http://www.ktar.com/22/1607714/Feds-seize-nearly-38-pounds-of-meth-at-
Arizona-border
SAN LUIS, Ariz. -- A man is in custody accused of trying to smuggle
nearly 38 pounds of methamphetamine into southern Arizona.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Guillermo Eleazar
Lopez-Rodriguez, 50, of Mexico, has been turned over to federal
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
CBP officers and a detection canine found $538,000 worth of meth
hidden in the frame of an SUV Lopez-Rodriguez was driving.
The drugs and vehicle were seized at the scene.
11 suspected smugglers arrested
February 04, 2013 4:31 PM
BY JAMES GILBERT @YSJamesGilbert
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 11 suspected drug smugglers
and seized 488 pounds of marijuana during two separate weekend
incidents.
According to Agent Kyle Estes of the Yuma Sector Communications
Division, agents apprehended the first group of suspected drug
smugglers Friday night south of the Camino Del Diablo trail in the
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
Estes said there were four suspected drug smugglers in the group and
that they were carrying a combined 265 pounds of marijuana.
Early the next day, Estes said agents intercepted a second group of
seven suspected drug smugglers who were also trying to cross the
wildlife refuge. They were carrying a combined 223 pounds of marijuana.
The total estimated value of the two seizures was $244,000.
Yuma County residents can help the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and
Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report
suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.
Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/smugglers-85032-suspected-
drug.html#ixzz2K2rRtQDZ
Note: Yes, probation.
Surviving defendant in smuggling case gets probation
Posted: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 8:17 am
Nogales International | 0 comments
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/surviving-defendant-in-
smuggling-case-gets-probation/article_336006ac-6fa7-11e2-
a11d-001a4bcf887a.html
A 24-year-old Rio Rico man was sentenced last week to five years of
probation, including 120 days in the county jail, for running a load
of marijuana through Nogales.
Marvin Aviles' conviction stems from an incident on July 5, 2011 when
he and a co-defendant, Jonathan Martin Morgan, were caught in a
combined effort to smuggle more than 53 pounds of marijuana. Morgan,
a 20-year-old Nogales native, was killed execution-style in a
downtown Nogales, Sonora seafood restaurant early on Christmas Eve.
Aviles, who pleaded guilty to one count of attempted possession of
marijuana for sale, a Class 3 felony, was sentenced on Jan. 28 in
Santa Cruz County Superior Court by Judge James A. Soto. As part of
the sentence, Soto allowed Aviles to serve his jail time on a work-
release basis.
According to his presentence report, NPD Officer John Zuniga was
traveling west on State Route 82 on the afternoon of the offense when
he saw a white Jaguar and a white Chevy Impala traveling down the
highway in tandem. Zuniga followed the vehicles to the Lomas
Mariposas apartment complex, where they parked in front of the main
office.
While Zuniga established a surveillance of the vehicles, he learned
that the owner of the Impala had reported it stolen. The owner said
he had loaned the car to his son-in-law, Aviles, who then called to
say that it had been stolen from Morley Avenue.
The owner gave permission for police to search the Impala with a drug-
sniffing dog, and during the search, the dog led officers to a bundle
of marijuana hidden in the trunk.
As police began to impound both vehicles, Morgan, who had been
driving the Jaguar, arrived at the scene. He was taken to the
Sheriff's Office for an interview, where he allegedly told
investigators that Aviles had called and asked to meet him at Royal
Road Market.
Once he arrived at the market, he said, Aviles asked him to follow
him to Lomas Mariposas. He said he had no idea that Aviles was
transporting drugs.
Aviles told an adult probation officer a different story during his
presentence interview. He said he was at home on July 5, 2011, when
Morgan called and asked him to meet him at Walgreens in Nogales. From
there, he said, they drove to an area behind the Royal Road Market
where Morgan had him back the Impala up to the carport of what
appeared to be an empty home.
Morgan loaded something into the car's trunk, though Aviles claimed
he didn't know what it was since he was too busy sending text messages.
After they dropped off the Impala and Jaguar at the apartment
complex, he said, some female friends gave him a ride to his home at
the Destino Apartments in Rio Rico. Then the police called and
arranged to pick him up for questioning. On July 17, 2012, the County
Attorney's Office charged him with three felony offenses stemming
from the incident.
Morgan was also charged with three felony offenses, but never
appeared in court. Shortly after midnight on Dec. 24, 2012, he was
shot multiple times by 29-year-old Iván Aniceto Estrada, whom police
in Nogales, Sonora detained shortly thereafter. According to the
Sonoran authorities, Estrada said another man paid him 700 pesos
(approximately $54) for the hit on Morgan.
At the time of his death, Morgan was facing federal charges for
conspiring to smuggle 11.9 kilograms of methamphetamine, while also
awaiting sentencing for a conviction in a case in which he was caught
south of Patagonia while trying to smuggle approximately 405
kilograms of marijuana.
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