(Tuesday, February 08, 2011)
Edinburg, Texas - Although the Rio Grande Valley was thawing out from abnormally cold temperatures, that didn’t stop U.S. Border Patrol agents from putting the freeze on smugglers’ efforts to get more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana across the border over the past three days.
Marijuana Seized by Rio Grande Valley Sector
The largest seizure occurred Friday in Fronton, Texas, when agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Station saw a Ford pickup truck drive down to the Rio Grande. When the truck arrived at the riverbank, several people began throwing bundles of marijuana into its bed.
Once the pickup was loaded, it was driven away from the river at a high rate of speed. Agents used a controlled tire deflation device and deflated three of the vehicle’s tires. Agents found the pickup nearby at an abandoned house.
2,300 lbs. Marijuana Seized by Border Patrol Agents in Rio Grande City
As agents searched the area, they noticed the front door to the abandoned house was open and could see large bundles of marijuana inside. In the bed of the pickup and inside the house agents found more than 2,300 pounds of marijuana, with a value of more than $1.8 million.
In total, from Friday to Sunday, agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector seized more than $5.7 million in marijuana. The drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
To report suspicious activity, call the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector’s toll-free telephone number at 800-863-9382.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
