December 13, 2004
U.S. Border Patrol Hauls in over $2 million
in Marijuana
Record Pace for drug seizures continues
Tucson, AZ -This past weekend, Border Patrol Agents in the Tucson Sector seized over 2,500 pounds of marijuana in three separate incidents.
Saturday, at approximately 7:45 a.m., agents assigned to the Nogales Horse Patrol Unit spotted a suspicious vehicle in the brush near milepost 6 on Ruby Road in Nogales, Arizona. When agents approached the area, they found a white Ford F-250 truck loaded with bundles of marijuana. Marijuana bundles were also located on the ground surrounding the truck. The agents secured the truck and searched the area for suspects, but none were found. The marijuana totaled 1,141 pounds with an estimated value of $912,800. The marijuana and the Ford F-250 truck were remanded to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Saturday, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Casa Grande Station received information of a possible vehicle intrusion south of Cockleburr, Arizona, near the International Boundary and Pipeline Road. Agents responded to the area and encountered a Chevrolet Suburban traveling north towards Federal Route 42. Inside the vehicle, the agents could see numerous bundles of marijuana. As the agents attempted to stop the vehicle, the Suburban left the roadway and began driving cross-country through the desert. The agents lost sight of the Suburban, and requested assistance from a Border Patrol's Fox Unit (helicopter). An aerial and ground search of the area resulted in a blue Suburban being located approximately one mile west of Federal Route 42. The Suburban had been partially hidden in some brush.
Inside the Suburban, the agents found 52 bundles of marijuana, weighing 1,306 pounds, and valued at over $1 million. The drug smuggler(s) were not located. The Suburban had been reported stolen out of Tucson, Arizona, and was turned over to the Casa Grande Police Department for recovery services. The marijuana was remanded to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. On Sunday, at 7:00 a.m., agents assigned to the Sonoita Station observed a suspicious sedan heading north on State Route 83. The sedan sped up as it passed the agents on the side of the road. The agents pulled onto SR 83 in order to catch up to the sedan, which was already out of sight. Four miles later, the agents found the sedan abandoned near milepost 36. It appeared that the driver had lost control of the vehicle as he/she attempted to turn onto Old Sonoita Highway from SR 83. Inside the vehicle, the agents found 90 pounds of marijuana in the trunk, valued at $72,000. A search of the area was conducted, but no arrests were made. The marijuana and the vehicle were turned over to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
For Fiscal Year 2005, agents in the Tucson Sector have already interdicted and seized 103,695 pounds of marijuana, worth over $82.9 million. This is a 6% increase over last year's 97,753 pounds for the same time period.
The Border Patrol is a division of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders.
~CBP~
