Caltrops used by suspected drug smugglers to disable Border Patrol vehicles
July 08, 2011 5:34 PM
Naxiely Lopez

LOS EBANOS -- Suspected smugglers disabled two U.S. Border Patrol vehicles with homemade spikes Thursday, according to a new release from the federal agency.

The incident began when agents from the Rio Grande City Station spotted a white Chevrolet Suburban heading north from the Rio Grande near Los Ebanos, officials said.

The driver turned back toward the river when he saw the agents, while the passenger threw spikes out the window, agents said. The caltrops flattened tires in two Border Patrol vehicles.

The driver of the Suburban drove over a high embankment and into the Rio Grande, where several narcotic recovery boats waited. The driver and passenger eluded authorities.

Agents, however, recovered more than a ton of marijuana from inside the submerged vehicle. The pot was valued at more than $1.5 million.

“The reckless use of homemade spikes by these smugglers in an attempt to prevent us from seizing their contraband, put not only our agents in danger, but the public in general as well,â€