Labor Day weekend kept CBP officers busy

BUFFALO | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Buffalo, Port of Champlain and Port of Massena made multiple arrests and intercepted numerous narcotic shipments over the holiday weekend. Four arrests were made at the Port of Buffalo, along with one at the Port of Champlain and two more at the Port of Massena. The Peace Bridge crossing also intercepted more than four kilograms of narcotics in two different shipments. On Aug. 29, the Champlain Port of Entry encountered Maximus Padilla, a 25-year-old male U.S. citizen, who CBP officers discovered had an active National Crime Information Center (NCIC) felony warrant for kidnapping from Clarkstown Police Department, N.Y. After processing and confirming the arrest warrant, he was turned over to New York State Police. Then, CBP officers at the Port of Buffalo-Peace Bridge commercial facility discovered two different shipments that contained a total of more than four kilograms of marijuana. One shipment was manifested as "sea cucumbers" and the other had packages sewn into a jacket, secreting the shipment of marijuana. On Aug. 30, CBP officers at the Port of Buffalo-Rainbow Bridge crossing arrested Luis Avellanet Rivera, a 29-year-old male U.S. citizen who was encountered with multiple firearms, ammunition and magazines. He was turned over to the New York State Police and charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon. Additionally, CBP officers had two arrests at the Massena Port of Entry, one involving a 31-year-old female North American Indian, who was encountered with a controlled substance and charged by New York State Police. Later that same day, a 57-year-old female citizen of Canada was encountered with a warrant for dangerous drugs out of Broward County Sheriff's Office Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She was processed and turned over to the New York State Police for extradition. On Aug. 31, at the Rainbow Bridge crossing, a 32-year-old male United States citizen, was encountered with a NCIC warrant for Assault, wanted in Stroud, Pa. He was processed and turned over to the New York State Police. Closing out the holiday weekend, on Sept. 1, at the Lewiston Bridge crossing, CBP officers arrested a 46-year-old male U.S. citizen who had a NCIC warrant for probation violation: various traffic offenses in North Carolina. Then, a 47-year-old male U.S. citizen was encountered with a NCIC warrant for obscene material possession from the Orange County, Fla., Sheriff's Office. After verification and processing, both subjects were turned over to the New York State Police for extradition. "I want to commend our dedicated officers for their exceptional work over this busy holiday weekend," said Assistant Director Field Operations Buffalo Richard Roberts. "Their vigilance and commitment to securing our nation's borders resulted in multiple successful arrests and narcotic seizures at our ports of entry. These actions underscore our unwavering focus on protecting the homeland and disrupting illegal activities that threaten our communities. I am proud of the professionalism and teamwork displayed by our personnel, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards in safeguarding our borders." The National Crime Information Center is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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Labor Day weekend kept CBP officers busy

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