Recovered gowns to dress up dreams

The director of an Oregon-based nonprofit that sells wedding dresses to grant the wishes of women dying from breast cancer prayed for months for the recovery of her stolen trailer filled with more than 2,000 gowns.

On Easter Sunday, her prayers were answered when she was notified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the 40-foot trailer had been recovered in Nogales, Mexico, at the U.S. port of entry.

More than half of the dresses were still in it.

“When the call came in, I felt blessed beyond my wildest dreams,” said Fran Hansen, who runs Making Memories. “I’d been praying for that moment for the past several months. If it wasn’t for their watchful eye, we may never have gotten our trailer and gowns back. We’re so grateful they’ve been found and thrilled with what we got.”

The trailer with the recovered gowns is on the way to downtown Chicago so the dresses can be sold during a Brides Against Breast Cancer event at the Wyndham Hotel April 27 and 28.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the case, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice confirmed Tuesday. Kice wouldn’t say whether anyone has been arrested or if they have any leads in recovering the remainder of the gowns.

Hansen was passing through Scottsdale in early November when the gowns, valued at $3 million, were stolen from the parking lot of a Country Inn and Suites in north Scottsdale.

The dresses were slated to be sold at a benefit in West Hollywood, Calif.

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained the truck and trailer at the port of entry Thursday, the driver was trying to re-enter the United States from Mexico, officials said.

The trailer had 1,024 of the wedding gowns in it, according to Hansen.

Officers working at the commercial import facility were suspicious when they noticed masking tape covering Making Memories’ lettering on a trailer with Mexican license plates.

Officers decided to inspect it, according to information from Customs and Border Protection. The driver of the truck, who did not have the required import paperwork, was apprehended but is no longer in custody, said Brian Levin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman.

“This is something we were not expecting,” Levin said. “We’re prepared for narcotics, human smuggling and trade violations, but wedding dresses? We’re extremely happy and delighted to return these items to the rightful owners.”