Mexican tour bus used to smuggle in 320 pounds of pot into Arizona
Mexican tour bus used to smuggle in 320 pounds of pot into Arizona, Border Patrol says
Marcella Baietto, The Republic | azcentral.com
Published 7:16 p.m. MT Sept. 21, 2017 | Updated 7:32 p.m. MT Sept. 21, 2017
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2c7...-WCX-DRUGS.JPG
(Photo: Willcox Station Border Patrol)
Two drivers of a Mexican tour bus were arrested on suspicion of using the vehicle to smuggle 320 pounds of marijuana into Arizona while passengers were on board, the U.S. Border Patrol said.
Border Patrol agents stopped the bus on Wednesday night at a checkpoint on State Route 80 near Tombstone for an immigration check of the passengers inside, officials said in a press release. All occupants were identified as Mexican nationals.
A Border Patrol dog responded to an odor in the back of the bus during the immigration inspection.
Officials then discovered 264 bricks of marijuana hidden in a compartment behind a cabinet near the toilet, a Border Patrol official said..
Officials estimate the drugs are worth $159,000.
Both drivers, a 26-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, were arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling.
The bus was seized by authorities, and passengers were taken to a business to wait for transportation, officials added. The agency did not say how many passengers were aboard at the time.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...ing/691702001/