Tucson Region
62 illegal entrants found in Rio Rico; 4 tons of pot are seized separately
By Dale Quinn
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.01.2008
U.S. Border Patrol agents raided a Rio Rico drop house Thursday and detained 62 illegal entrants.
And in separate incidents since Wednesday evening, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector seized more than 4 tons of marijuana, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release.
The drop-house raid began when agents stopped a vehicle near Rio Rico, about 60 miles south of Tucson, a press release said.
Five illegal entrants were arrested, and when agents questioned the smuggler, they learned about a large number of illegal border crossers at a nearby house. Agents went to the residence and a man let them in, the release said.
Sixty-two illegal entrants were found in the two-bedroom residence, which was described in the press release as unhealthy and unsafe.
All 62 were determined to be Mexican citizens in the United States illegally. Four of the entrants will be held on human-smuggling charges, according to the release.
The drug seizures started Wednesday evening when agents found an abandoned vehicle north of the village of Kaka in the Tohono O'odham Nation, according to a press release. The sport utility vehicle was partially covered with loose brush, and agents found 104 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 2,200 pounds inside.
The Tohono O'odham Police Department was notified, and the drugs were turned over the Drug Enforcement Administration, the release said.
In another seizure the next day, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent notified the Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 19 checkpoint of a tractor-trailer that could be hauling marijuana.
A drug-sniffing dog led agents to further search a tractor-trailer matching the description provided by the ICE agent.
Inside, the agents found 62 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 1,400 pounds. The driver, a Mexican citizen in the United States legally, was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Later that night, a drug-sniffing dog at the I-19 checkpoint again led agents to further search a tractor-trailer. Pallets of marijuana were found inside.
According to the press release, about 4,400 pounds of marijuana in 187 bundles was seized and turned over to the DEA. The driver, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico, was being held by the DEA for prosecution.
In another seizure, a drug-sniffing dog at a checkpoint on Arizona 82 near Sonoita led agents to further search a Dodge truck. Agents found a false compartment with 16 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 200 pounds.
The driver and its passenger, both U.S. citizens, were taken into custody on suspicion of narcotics smuggling.
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