Border Patrol Foils 2 Drug Smuggling Attempts in Arizona

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Tucson, Ariz. - Tucson, Ariz. Border Patrol agents seized more a ton of marijuana in two separate incidents in the southwest deserts of Arizona.

On Sunday night, Ajo Station agents patrolling State Route 85 near the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range noticed two vehicles traveling through the desert with their headlights off. Agents attempted to intercept the vehicles only to find the vehicles abandoned one mile southwest of the bombing range. Both vehicles contained a total of 51 bundles of marijuana. Registration checks showed that both vehicles had been reported stolen.

The marijuana was transported to the Ajo Border Patrol station for further processing and will be turned over to Drug Enforcement Administration. The 51 bundles weighted 1,241 pounds with a street value of $992,800. The vehicles will be turned over to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Early this morning, Border Patrol agents from the Casa Grande Station observed a suspicious silver Toyota Land Cruiser a mile north of the border near Serapo Ranch on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. As agents neared the vehicle the driver ran from the vehicle and fled into Mexico. Inside the vehicle, Agents discovered 51 bundles of marijuana. A registration check of the vehicle revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen.