EP Sector Border Patrol Agents Seize 600+ Lbs. Of Marijuana
SANTATERESA,NM. – El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents seized 609 pounds of marijuana over the weekend in three separate seizures in the latest interdiction efforts by vigilant agents in New Mexico.
The largest of the three seizures occurred on Friday night when agents assigned to the Santa Teresa, New Mexico Border Patrol Station encountered a Chevrolet pick-up traveling north on Pete Domenici Highway. The lone occupant of the vehicle was hauling a load of hay bails in the truck bed and displaying temporary paper license plates.
Agents initiated an immigration stop on the truck and gained consent to search. The search yielded seven black duffle bags containing several cellophane wrapped bundles. The green leafy contents of the bundles tested positive for marijuana in the amount of 509 pounds.
The driver of the truck, a 25-year old U.S. Citizen from El Paso, was placed under arrest on suspicion of importing and transporting a controlled substance. He was subsequently turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Las Cruces for prosecution.
Two additional seizures occurred on Friday and Saturday at two U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoints located on I-10 and I-25 respectively. The two seizures netted a combined total of 90 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of two suspected smugglers of narcotics.
On Friday August 3, 2007 at approximately 10:00 a.m., Border Patrol agents assigned to the I-10 Traffic Checkpoint questioned the driver of a Chevrolet pick-up truck with Mexican license plates. The driver of the vehicle, a 26-year old male from Nevada, gave inconsistent statements that made agents suspicious. A Border Patrol K-9 team confirmed that suspicion by positively alerting to the presence of narcotics.
A search of the truck revealed 71 PVC pipes in the truck gas tank. A total of 38 pounds of marijuana were found in the tank, valued at $30,400.00. The driver of the truck was placed under arrest and turned over to the New Mexico Border Interdiction Group for disposition.
The final seizure unfolded at the Border Patrol traffic checkpoint on Interstate 25 on Saturday, August 4, 2007, at approximately 3:00 p.m. During questioning, agents at the checkpoint noticed unusual mannerisms by the driver of a 2006 Volkswagen Pointer. The subject, a 29-year old man from Chihuahua, Mexico, was referred to secondary inspection where a Border Patrol canine alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. A subsequent search of the interior of the vehicle revealed 56 bundles wrapped in clear plastic and aluminum foil.
The bundles were located inside each of the four doors, the dashboard and inside the hatchback door. The green-leafy substance contained in the bundles was tested and proved positive to the properties of marijuana. The driver and 62 pounds of contraband were turned over to the New Mexico Border Interdiction Group for disposal and prosecution.
To date in fiscal year 2007, El Paso Sector agents of the U.S. Border Patrol have been involved in over 900 seizures of narcotics, valued at approximately $102 million.
