February 13, 2008  Arizona
Border Patrol agents seize over 2,000 pounds of marijuana in two incidents

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Tucson Sector seized more than $2 million worth of marijuana yesterday during routine patrols.

On Wednesday morning, Tucson sector agents on patrol near the Baboquivari Mountains spotted nine men carrying large bundles of marijuana, one of whom also had a rifle in his hands. As the agents moved in to apprehend the subjects, the group dropped the bundles and the rifle and fled in different directions. Three of the men who attempted to abscond were caught, along with all of the drugs and the rifle. The marijuana, weighing over 392 pounds and an SKS rifle were seized. The three men, all found to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States, are being held in service custody pending prosecution.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. an agent assigned to a dirt bike patrol unit with the Casa Grande Border Patrol Station saw a group of men running through the desert near Vamori, Arizona. As the agent approached the men, he could see that all had large bundles of marijuana on their backs. Seeing that they would not be able to out run the motorcycle, the men dropped their load and fled. The agent was able to secure 11 burlap "backpacks" of marijuana weighing over 534 pounds.

Last night at around 7 p.m. agents assigned to the Ajo Border Patrol Station saw a utility pickup truck pulling a trailer with suspicious modifications near the village of Menenger's Dam on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. After getting consent from the driver and his associate, a service canine was used to perform a search of the truck and flat bed trailer. When the dog alerted to presence of drugs, the trailer was inspected more thoroughly and was found to have a hidden compartment running the full length of the trailer. The steel reinforced compartment was found to hold 72 bundles of marijuana weighing more then 1,781 pounds. The men were placed under arrest and are being held in service custody pending prosecution.

A total of 2,709.3 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $2,167,440 was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 299,194 pounds of marijuana was seized by agents of Tucson Sector between Oct. 1, 2007 and Jan. 31, 2008.

Source: US Customs/Border Patrol