Drug-laden truck stopped in Big Bend, Texas. (Photo: USBP)
Tucson, AZ–Border Patrol agents from Big Bend Sector made one of the largest marijuana seizures to date in Fiscal Year 2017 after seizing 1,537 pounds last Thursday from a 2003 Ford F-150 truck approximately 20 miles southeast of Alpine, Texas.
The load was intercepted when agents were conducting patrols near a remote ranch road outside of Alpine. Agents picked up tire-tracks that traversed through several ranch areas, eventually leading to the pick-up. A stop was made on the truck and agents found the large load of narcotics in the back seat. A subject was taken into custody at the scene in connection with the seizure.
“Drug seizures of this magnitude are not only noteworthy, but can also make an impact on smuggling practices as a whole in the west-Texas corridor,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jesse Shaw stated.
The marijuana, vehicle and suspected smuggler were taken to a Border Patrol Station and processed. The value of the load is estimated roughly at $1.2 million.
The investigation is being turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Alpine Office.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales seized almost $1.1 million in hard drugs and arrested four Mexican nationals during separate weekend incidents.
Early Saturday, officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred a 35-year-old Mexican man for a more detailed search of his Nissan sedan. A CBP canine subsequently alerted officers to the discovery of more than 58 pounds of methamphetamine worth close to $175,000.
That afternoon, officers working at the Mariposa crossing with a narcotics-detection canine found more than 85 pounds of assorted drugs in a Hyundai SUV occupied by a 37-year-old Mexican man and a 28-year-old Mexican woman.
The drugs seized included almost 23 pounds of fentanyl, worth approximately $376,000; more than 57 pounds of meth, worth in excess of $172,000; and nearly 5 pounds of heroin, worth close to $86,000.
