EDINBURG, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents seized over 1,900 pounds of marijuana and just over 50 pounds of cocaine in the Rio Grande Valley.
On Thursday, November 2, agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station confiscated 1,370 pounds of marijuana near Rio Grande City, Texas. An Air and Marine Operations AS-350 helicopter utilized sensor equipment to observe and track multiple subjects loading bundles into a truck. The driver turned back and abandoned the loaded vehicle upon seeing responding agents. Both the driver and passenger fled back into Mexico. The 120 packages of marijuana, estimated to be worth $1,096,127, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The next day, Falfurrias agents apprehended a male subject as he attempted to smuggle a load of cocaine through the checkpoint. The driver, a United States citizen, consented to a vehicle search during which a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics. Further inspection of the vehicle revealed numerous packages concealed in hidden compartments. The DEA took custody of the driver and 20 bundles of cocaine estimated to be worth $1,153,160.
Drug smuggling operations were disrupted again by Border Patrol on Sunday, November 5. Rio Grande City agents pursued a vehicle whose driver refused to pull over for a traffic stop near La Rosita, Texas. The subject abandoned the SUV and absconded back into Mexico. The driver left behind 50 bundles of marijuana, valued at $455,912, which agents turned over to the DEA.
