Border Patrol Agents Seize More than 7 Tons of Marijuana in 3 Days

Border Patrol Agents Seize More than 7 Tons of Marijuana in 3 Days

(Wednesday, December 12, 2012)

Edinburg, Texas — Nearly $11.5 million worth of marijuana was confiscated in multiple seizures over the past three days by U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

One of the seizures occurred Monday morning near Rio Grande City when agents intercepted several smugglers, with bundles of marijuana on their backs, walking north away from the Rio Grande. When the smugglers saw the agents, they abandoned more than 550 pounds of marijuana and fled south to Mexico.

Another seizure took place that same day near La Grulla when a helicopter from Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine spotted a marijuana-laden pickup truck being driven away from the river. Personnel onboard the helicopter followed the pickup to a house and saw the marijuana get unloaded into a shed. Border Patrol agents and officers from the La Grulla Police Department received consent from the homeowner to search the shed, where they found nearly 500 pounds of marijuana.

Additional seizures pushed the total amount of marijuana confiscated from Sunday through Wednesday to more than 14,000 pounds. So far for the month of December, agents have seized nearly 42,000 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of more than $33.3 million.

To report suspicious activity, call the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector’s toll-free telephone number at (800) 863-9382.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/12122012_10.xml