Border Patrol agents conduct six drug seizures overnight
Comments 5 | Recommend 0
March 5, 2009 - 10:38 PM
Ana Ley

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Hidalgo County seized more than $3.6 million worth of marijuana in six isolated busts within a 24-hour period.

The busts "occurred at various hours of the night on Wednesday," an agency news release states. The pot - which was turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration - had a combined weight of more than 2 tons.

The largest seizure occurred south of Mission, where agents found a beige Ford F-250 pickup overturned in a canal and apparently abandoned. When agents approached the truck, they saw 108 bundles of marijuana wrapped in brown cellophane floating nearby and inside the truck. The drugs weighed more than 1,080 pounds.

Agents also chased an individual driving a van loaded with 530 pounds of marijuana near Hidalgo. The criminal drove the van into the Rio Grande before fleeing on foot to Mexico.

Another stash of 20 bundles of pot weighing a total of 627 pounds was found near Peñitas along the riverbank.

In an unrelated incident in Peñitas, agents spotted a blue Mercury Villager minivan leaving the river area and traveling toward Military Highway. Agents tried stopping the driver but he left the vehicle and fled into nearby brush. Authorities found 26 bundles weighing 590 pounds inside the vehicle.

Another driver fled south near Abram, abandoning a white Ford pickup carrying 925 pounds of marijuana.

In a similar but unrelated bust in Abram, agents attempted to stop the driver of a gray Dodge 1500 pickup, but he ditched the vehicle and fled from authorities. Agents found 47 bundles weighing more than 860 pounds inside the pickup.

No arrests were made in connection with any of the seizures.


http://www.themonitor.com/articles/agen ... juana.html