Customs arrests commonly arise from random inspections, immigration alerts, or investigations into the trafficking of goods, narcotics, weapons, or persons. Detention typically occurs at high-surveillance border crossings such as Tijuana, Mexicali, or Nogales. In these matters, time is critical: from the moment of arrest, a 48-hour clock begins to run—the very first second starts at the moment of arrest—and upon the expiration of hour forty-eight, the arrested person must be brought before a Mexican court, where a judge will determine key issues in the case.
During that critical period, the legal course of the matter is defined. An immediate, well-structured defense is therefore indispensable. At Justicia Transparente, we know how to work against the clock. Our attorneys promptly begin collecting evidence, obtain the investigation file (carpeta de investigación), and take steps to secure the detainee’s pretrial release, seeking to avoid, where possible, transfer to a Mexican prison. While the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público) works to assemble inculpatory evidence, our defense focuses on building a solid strategy that restores balance to the proceeding.
We have demonstrated that speed, rigorous legal analysis, and tight coordination of resources are our principal strengths in these matters. For that reason, customs arrests are among the strongest practice areas of our firm.
