Ton-plus of pot is seized at Lukeville

By Brady McCombs

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized 2,700 pounds of marijuana early Thursday near Lukeville and arrested a pair of convicted felons in the past week in Cochise County.

The discovery of the marijuana occurred at 2 a.m. in a parking lot next to the Lukeville port of entry, said Rob Daniels, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector. Agents noticed fresh footprints leading to a tractor-trailer rig parked in the spot since the day before, he said.

They found six illegal entrants from Mexico inside the trailer and 113 bundles of marijuana hidden inside in false compartments in the lining of the trailer, Daniels said. The total weight of the marijuana, 2,700 pounds, has an estimated value of about $1.5 million, according to figures from the National Drug Intelligence Center.

The six men — ages 20 to 38, all from Mexico — were arrested and are facing charges from the U.S. Attorneys Office, he said. The trailer was towed to the Border Patrol station.

The convicted felons were both apprehended in Cochise County.

On New Year's Day about 3:30 p.m., agents arrested Alejandro Fernandez-Montelongo, 24, of Mexico, near Naco. A records check revealed Fernandez was convicted of sexual abuse of a child under 16 in Jerome County, Idaho, and sentenced to eight years in prison. After serving 180 days, he was formally returned to Mexico.