Tucson Region
Wide array of weekend calls for Border Patrol
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.29.2007
advertisementBorder Patrol agents found a van full of marijuana, the body of an illegal entrant who died in the desert and a pregnant woman in need of help in separate weekend incidents.
In the first incident, agents found three illegal entrants near Federal Route 19 on the Tohono O'odham Nation on Friday night, according to a press release from Rob Daniels, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector.
The men, two from Guatemala and one from Mexico, guided agents to the body of a fourth man who had been traveling with them. The body was identified as that of the brother one of the Guatemalan men and cousin of the other Guatemalan, the release stated.
O'odham police took custody of the body, and the victim's relatives were put in touch with the Guatemalan Consulate, so the man's body can be returned for burial, the release stated.
Then on Saturday, agents found more than 2,500 pounds of marijuana in a Ford Econoline van near Three Points, west of Tucson, the release stated.
The driver and passenger of the van attempted to escape into the desert after agents stopped the vehicle at 11 a.m. about three miles east of State Route 286, the release stated.
Agents caught the men, and said the driver was a 25-year-old from Mexico who'd been previously deported as an aggravated felon, the release stated.
The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the driver while the van, which was stolen from Goodyear, was turned over to the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the release stated.
And on Sunday, a 32-year-old pregnant woman in medical distress was airlifted to a Tucson hospital after being found near Arivaca.
The woman and her husband, also 32, had crossed the border with two other people, all of whom were Mexican citizens, the release stated. The woman was suffering from abdominal pains and shortness of breath.
The Border Patrol did not know if the woman gave birth to her child, the release stated.
The pair will return to Mexico after the woman is released from the hospital, the release stated. The other two people were returned to Mexico.
Since the federal fiscal year began in October, the Border Patrol reports it's rescued 197 people, recorded 87 deaths and found more than 563,000 pounds of marijuana, the release said.
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