CA: Border Patrol agents seize liquid meth at checkpoint
TEMECULA: Border Patrol agents seize liquid meth at checkpoint
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Border Patrol agents say they discovered this bag of liquid methamphetamine in a car stopped at the Interstate 15 checkpoint near Temecula.
BY SARAH BURGE The Press Enterprise sburge@pe.com
Published: 23 August 2012 04:57 PM
Border Patrol agents seized more than eight pounds of liquid methamphetamine Wednesday, Aug. 22, from a car at the Interstate 15 checkpoint near Temecula, authorities said.
About 1:45 p.m., agents stopped a 35-year-old man driving a 2008 Ford Fiesta at the checkpoint after they “became suspicious of the man’s nervous demeanor,” a Border Patrol news release said. With the help of a Border Patrol drug-sniffing dog, agents discovered a large freezer bag in the gas tank containing a yellowish liquid. It tested positive for liquid methamphetamine, the release said.
The man and the drugs were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation.
Border Patrol officials did not disclose the name of the driver, who they said is a Mexican national. But jail records show Edgar Luna Rodriguez, 35, was arrested at the checkpoint Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and other drug charges.
He was being held at the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley with bail set at $200,000.
Follow Sarah Burge on Twitter: @sarahkburge
TEMECULA: Border Patrol agents seize liquid meth at checkpoint | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise
US Border Patrol agents seize more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana in 4 days
US Border Patrol agents seize more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana in 4 days
$7.3 million worth of marijuana confiscated
Published On: Aug 23 2012 05:12:08 PM CDT
EDINBURG, Texas - Agents have confiscated more than $7.3 million worth of marijuana since Sunday.
The largest seizure occurred Monday at the Falfurrias Checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281 when a Border Patrol K-9 detected the odor of narcotics coming from a tractor-trailer. Upon further inspection, US Border Patrol agents found more than 3,100 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the trailer.
PHOTOS: Border patrol makes major seizure
Agents made another large seizure Wednesday morning near Mission, Texas, after they spotted a marijuana-laden minivan traveling at a high rate of speed near the Rio Grande.
With the assistance of a helicopter from the Office of Air and Marine, agents followed the minivan until the driver and a passenger abandoned the vehicle and fled into the surrounding brush. Agents used a K-9 to search the area and arrested one man.
Additionally, agents patrolling the river by boat arrived and saw a man swimming to Mexico.
Inside the minivan agents found more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana.
Another large load was confiscated later that day near Rio Grande City, Texas. As agents were approaching a van that was loaded with marijuana, the smuggler spun the vehicle around and began driving through the brush. The van was eventually disabled by the rugged terrain, at which time the driver abandoned it and fled, leaving behind more than 1,100 pounds of marijuana.
Several smaller seizures pushed the total amount of marijuana confiscated from Sunday through Wednesday to more than 9,100 pounds.
To report suspicious activity, call the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector’s toll-free telephone number at 800-863-9382.
US Border Patrol agents seize more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana in 4 days | News - Home
More than a Ton of Marijuana Seized near Catalina Island
More than a Ton of Marijuana Seized near Catalina Island
By Mike Wille
Aug 23, 2012 at 8:06 PM PDT
Updated: Aug 23, 2012 at 8:06 PM PDT
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than a ton of marijuana from a boat near Catalina Island and arrested seven people who all appeared in federal court Thursday.
A marine interdiction team from the agency's Office of Air and Marine spotted a sailboat while patrolling south of Catalina Island, about 80 nautical miles from San Diego, about 3 a.m. Wednesday, Jackie Wasiluk of Customs and Border Protection said.
The sailboat crew signaled with a flashing light. Agents then boarded and found three people, a loaded shotgun, a .40-caliber pistol and night vision equipment, Wasiluk said.
The people aboard the sailboat was suspected of attempting to swap contraband with those on another vessel and a helicopter was brought in to search the area.
"We are beginning to see this as a more common tactic -- smugglers attempting to move contraband from open hull panga boats to recreational vehicles, such as this sailboat," said Keley Hill, director of Marine Operations in San Diego.
"The smugglers think that when the recreational vessel moves in to shore, it will blend in with legitimate boating traffic off the Southern California coastline and make it much more difficult for us to detect illegal activity."
About 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, as the Blackhawk helicopter spotted a two-engine panga loaded with marijuana bales about five nautical miles away, the boat's four occupants changed course and began dumping the bales overboard, Wasiluk said.
A second Customs and Border Protection crew stopped the panga after a brief chase and found 130 packages of marijuana weighing about 2,360 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $1 million, Wasiluk said.
Both boats were seized along with the marijuana and the seven suspects were turned over to the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force which investigates maritime-related crime in the Los Angeles area.
The suspects, who were charged with importation of a controlled substance, initially appeared in federal court this afternoon, Wasiluk said.
Those from the sailboat were Jeremy Alan Brislin, 40, of Huntington Beach; Terrance Joseph Hirchag, 46, of San Clemente; and Andrew Matthew Empson, 49, of Long Beach.
The suspects from the panga were Carlos Santana-Diaz, 36, and Joel Amabisca-Arillano, both of Sonora, Mexico; Ramon Zuniga-Juarez, 20, of Sinaloa, Mexico; and Jesus Beltran-Zuniga, 18, of Tijuana.
More than a Ton of Marijuana Seized near Catalina Island | San Diego 6 | Local News
