14 arrested in drug-trafficking ring in Arizona

PHOENIX -- Authorities say they've arrested 14 members of a large-scale drug-trafficking ring accused of smuggling cocaine and marijuana through Nogales.

The Arizona Attorney General's office says the group is responsible for smuggling more than 19 kilograms of cocaine and 2,952 pounds of marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico since December 2010.

Authorities say the group allegedly smuggled drugs through the Nogales Port of Entry in dump trucks with scrap metal, backpacks and hidden compartments in vehicles for more than a decade. The drugs were kept in stash houses in Nogales, Rio Rico, Tucson and Phoenix.

Search and arrest warrants were served on the suspects and stash houses Thursday and all but one of the 15 people sought were arrested.

Their names weren't immediately released Friday.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)