Border Patrol lands more than three tons of pot at checkpoint

August 18, 2009 11:49 AM
Jared Taylor
The Monitor

FALFURRIAS — U.S. Border Patrol agents found more than 3 tons of marijuana hidden within a load of limes Sunday evening — one of the largest seizures this year.

A tractor-trailer pulled into the Border Patrol checkpoint south of Falfurrias along U.S. Highway 281 and a Border Patrol dog alerted agents to the scent of drugs emanating from within the trailer.

Agents discovered 6,563 pounds of pot among the load of fruit during a secondary inspection of the vehicle. The drugs have an estimated street value of more than $5.25 million.

The Border Patrol turned over the suspect, a man, along with the rig and drugs to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. Agents refused to identify the arrested man or his nationality, citing the ongoing investigation into the smuggling attempt.

Local Border Patrol agents have seized more marijuana since October 2008 than in the previous two years combined.

As of Monday, agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector had seized 791,566 pounds of marijuana since October — a 129 percent increase over the same period the year before. The Border Patrol tabulates its statistics according to the agency’s fiscal year, which begins in October.

John Lopez, a local Border Patrol spokesman, said increased manpower together with completed sections of the border wall has given agents more time to react to reported smugglers crossing — pressuring smugglers to push larger loads across.

“They see an immediate need to get as much narcotics into the country as a hope to get past law enforcement agencies,â€