U.S. Border Patrol Seizes 600 Pounds of Marijuana

Herb Fellow

New Member
DEL RIO, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector seized more than 600 pounds of marijuana during this past New Year's week. Agents also arrested three subjects in connection with the drug seizures. The apprehensions were made using different methods of enforcement which included roving patrol, RVS camera sites and traffic checkpoints.

The most significant seizure was made by Agents assigned to the Eagle Pass station with more than 330 pounds of marijuana. Border Patrol Agents had been monitoring a pickup truck making scouting runs in and out of a notorious alien and narcotics load site for a couple of days. Agents relieving the previous shift spotted the same pickup leaving the load site area. When the driver of the truck spotted the agents he appeared to accelerate in order to avoid their detection. Due to the previous suspicious activity in and out of the load site area plus the behavior of the driver when he saw the agents, they decided to investigate further. The agents attempted to perform a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver of the pickup sped up and bailed from the truck leaving the agents to secure the truck. Subsequently, a search of the truck by the agents revealed a load of marijuana, confirming their suspicions.

The U.S. Border Patrol seized the pickup truck containing the marijuana and turned over the contraband to DEA. The marijuana was valued at over $260,000.00.

A separate seizure was made along the Port of Entry #1 in Eagle Pass Texas. At around 9:00pm under the cover of darkness four subjects were spotted by a National Guardsman operating one of the remote cameras while attempting to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States. Border Patrol Agents responded to the traffic call out. The agents were directed to the spot where the camera operator had last seen the four subjects on the Unites States side of the river. The agents immediately encountered the four subjects and upon identifying themselves the subjects dropped what appeared to be four burlap sacks and absconded back to the river and then into Mexico. A subsequent search of the burlap sacks resulted in a little over 155 pounds of marijuana, valued at over $124,000.00.

The contraband was turned over to the custody of the DEA.

Source: Southwest Texas Live
Copyright: 2008, Southwest Texas Live
Contact: Dennis Smith
Website: U.S. Border Patrol Seizes 600 Pounds of Marijuana | Southwest Texas LIVE!
 
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