Border Patrol seizes 880 pounds of marijuana in bust near Wellton

May 05, 2004 12:00 AM

The U.S. Border Patrol seized 880 pounds of marijuana Tuesday east of Wellton.

Officials said the pot, with an estimated street value of $740,000, was average size for a single-vehicle shipment in that area.

"Any time you can get 880 pounds off the streets of America, it gives you a great feeling. It's a good thing," said Joe Brigman, public information officer for the Border Patrol's Yuma Sector.

Brigman said agents had been tracking a 1991 Isuzu Trooper that had illegally entered the United States from Mexico on Monday night. The drugs were discovered when that vehicle was apprehended Tuesday near Aztec, just south of Interstate 8.

Agents arrested two Mexican nationals and confiscated the drugs, the vehicle and an all-terrain vehicle.

Brigman stressed that in addition to the drugs, the bust was significant for a second reason. He said that since the Border Patrol is now part of the Office of Homeland Security, agents are also charged with investigating any illegal traffic crossing the border that could carry a threat to national security.

Tuesday's bust brings the Yuma Sector's marijuana seizures to more than 6.5 tons total over the last seven months. The total street value of those drugs is in excess of $10 million.

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