01.16.07
Midland man arrested in Border Patrol marijuana bust

MARFA, Texas (AP) - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Midland man who was driving a pickup truck with more than 1,800 pounds of marijuana in the bed, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, was turned over to investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration after his arrest Monday. Border Patrol agents from Marfa stopped the 1995 Ford after it was spotted speeding on a rural road from the Rio Grande to Marfa.

Agents found 1,834 pounds of drugs, worth about $1.46 million, wrapped in tape in the back of the truck.

Another man, a U.S. citizen from Ojinaga, Mexico, was also arrested, Border Patrol officials said.

Border Patrol agents in the Marfa area have seized about 11,000 pounds of marijuana since Oct. 1. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.