January 11, 2008


Border agents seize more than 700 pounds of marijuana

Colin Atagi

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than 700 pounds of marijuana and 491 grams of methamphetamine worth nearly $600,000 this week.

The most recent seizure happened 3 a.m. today at the Calexico station when agents caught three men entering the United States illegally. They got in three miles west of the Imperial Sands Dunes Recreational Park, according to a news release.

Agents discovered 236 pounds of marijuana worth $188,720 during the incident.

At 3 p.m. Thursday, agents from the Indio station encountered a brown minivan at the Highway 86 checkpoint. Its driver had 491 grams of methamphetamine taped to his leg, according to the release.

The narcotics were worth $34,640.

Earlier Thursday, agents seize 94.8 pounds of marijuana also worth $34,640. They found the drugs inside a pickup truck's gas tank.

About 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, agents at the Highway 86 checkpoint caught a man smuggling 370 pounds of marijuana in a tractor trailer. They found 18 bundles of marijuana worth $296,000, according to the news release.

The suspects and narcotics in each incident were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration pending further investigation and criminal charges.

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