Posted by AP February 26, 2005
Border Patrol K-9 and Tucson Fire Department Take A Bite Out Of Marijuana Smuggling
Tucson, AZ - February 26, 2005 -- Yesterday, Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Tucson Station seized nearly $1 million worth of marijuana from a false compartment under a flat bed trailer.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., while on routine patrol, a Border Patrol K9 Agent encountered a white 1994 GMC 4x4 pick-up truck, with an empty car trailer in tow, on Highway 286 near milepost 33. The agent performed a vehicle stop, and the K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the car trailer. Further investigation revealed a false compartment below the steel floor of the trailer. The pick-up and trailer were transported to the Tucson Station where members of the Tucson Fire Department assisted agents with the extraction of the contraband by employing the use of the "Jaws of Life". Inside the false compartment agents found 53 bundles of marijuana, weighing 1,155 pounds. The marijuana has an estimated value of $923,600. The driver, a 42-year-old male United States Citizen, was arrested on site. He along with the marijuana and vehicles were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
This is the second major seizure, in a day, made by the Tucson Station. Agents from the Tucson Station also seized 1,880 lbs. of marijuana near Arivaca yesterday. This marijuana was concealed in an abandoned pick-up truck hidden beneath a camouflage tarp in the desert.
Since October 1, 2004, agents in the Tucson Sector have interdicted and seized 202,741 pounds of marijuana, valued at over $162 million. 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.
