February 24, 2008  Arizona
Border Patrol seizes nearly a ton of marijuana in two incidents

Border Patrol agents from the Tucson sector seized nearly a ton of marijuana during routine weekend patrols.

On Sunday evening, agents assigned to the Casa Grande Station spotted horse tracks on the Tohono O'odham Reservation near the village of Cowlic. With the assistance of CBP Air assets, agents were able to arrest one rider and seize 22 bundles of marijuana. Two other riders and all six horses were able to avoid capture. The rider caught with the drug load was identified as a 27-year-old Mexican national. While he will be processed for Expedited Removal, the marijuana weighing more than 800 pounds was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Yesterday at approximately 5 p.m., agents assigned to the Ajo Station responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle, south of the village of Gu-Vo on the Tohono O'odham Nation. About an hour later, agents spotted a vehicle matching the earlier description of a grey Chevy Avalanche near the village. They followed a dust cloud for a few moments until they discovered the abandoned truck, with a large number of marijuana bundles in the back. Agents searched for the driver, unsuccessfully, before they moved the truck and the drugs back to the Ajo Border Patrol Station for further processing. A total of 26 bundles weighing more than 1,100 pounds were processed and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In the first four months of fiscal year 2008, drug seizures in the Tucson sector were nearly 150 tons.

Source: US Customs/Border Patrol