Amid cabbage, agents find 9,100 pounds of marijuana

January 22, 2009 - 3:39 PM
Jared Taylor

The Monitor
FOR THE RECORD

FALFURRIAS | POT SEIZURE

It may have appeared to be another load of produce headed north from the Rio Grande Valley.

But after the tractor-trailer stopped at the Falfurrias checkpoint, a U.S. Border Patrol dog sniffed out 284 bundles of marijuana concealed among the heads of cabbage.

Agents made the seizure Tuesday. The 9,100 pounds of marijuana carried a street value of more than $7.3 million, said Dan Doty, a local Border Patrol spokesman.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration took over the investigation and assumed custody of the truck's driver and passenger, along with the tractor-trailer and the drugs.

The seizure is the largest marijuana seizure Border Patrol has made in months, Doty said.

HIDALGO | CASH SEIZURE

Officers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge seized about $251,000 in undeclared cash from two men traveling into Mexico on Tuesday.

The U.S. currency was hidden inside a suitcase and an ice chest and under a pile of clothing inside a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

The driver, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen, and male passenger were not arrested, but the case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents.

It is not a crime to carry large sums of cash, but it is a federal offense not to declare $10,000 or more when entering or leaving the United States. It is also a crime to conceal it with intent to evade reporting requirements.

The men can petition to have the money returned, but they must prove that its use was legitimate.

PHARR | COCAINE SEIZURE

U.S. customs officers seized 182 pounds of cocaine stuffed inside a shipment of cinder blocks Wednesday.

A narcotic detector dog at the Pharr cargo facility sniffed out 38 blocks inside a flatbed trailer being towed by a 2004 Peterbilt tractor.

Officers there cut the blocks open and found 113 cocaine packets hidden inside, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The drug stash has an estimated street value of $5.8 million.

The driver, 38, of Reynosa, was not arrested but ICE agents are investigating the incident.

ALTON | HIT-AND-RUN

Authorities have identified a man who was struck dead by a vehicle near the intersection of Inspiration Road and Mile 5 Line on Monday.

The body of Miguel Angel Narvaez, 36, was found about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Narvaez had called his wife about 8:30 p.m. Monday to tell her he was heading home after work but he never arrived, said Alton Assistant Police Chief Enrique Sotelo. The family had been looking for him since then.

They told police he had been riding a bicycle from work but authorities did not find it at the location.

"We think someone took it for scrap metal," Sotelo said.

Witnesses told police the bicycle was an "orangey or tan" color. Police are also searching for a green vehicle that may be connected to the incident.

SOUTH OF SAN JUAN | POT SEIZURE

U.S. Border Patrol agents picked up 806 pounds of marijuana from a group of smugglers sneaking sacks across the Rio Grande on Wednesday.

Agents patrolling the river spotted the group about 6 a.m. When the agents identified themselves, the people dropped the bundles and evaded authorities by running toward Mexico.

After a brief chase, agents found 22 burlap sacks containing 65 bricks "of a substance that tested positive for marijuana," according to a Border Patrol news release. The drugs have an estimated street value of $644,720.

McALLEN | CONVICTED CRIMINALS

A group of convicted criminals was caught sneaking into the United States at the McAllen Foreign Trade Zone.

The 11 criminals were traveling with a group of 30 undocumented immigrants nabbed by U.S. Border Patrol agents early Wednesday morning and had convictions ranging from assault to felony drug crimes. They had been formally deported from the United States, and some had been found guilty of aggravated felonies.

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Monitor staff writers Jared Taylor and Ana Ley compiled this report.

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/cabb ... drugs.html