TUCSON: Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized more than 2,300 pounds of marijuana, worth $1.1 million, during multiple weekend seizures and apprehended six male Mexican nationals in one of the incidents that occurred .
Agents assigned to the West Desert Task Force were patrolling near Vekol Valley, Arizona, when they found 19 bundles of abandoned marijuana valued in excess of $444,000.Border Patrol agents to a multi-agency task force operating within Arizona’s Vekol Valley located bundles of marijuana that were abandoned by drug smugglers
Casa Grande Station agents responded to sensor technology near the Tohono O’odham village of Pisinimo and discovered more than 800 pounds of abandoned marijuana worth an estimated $400,000. An extensive search of the area was conducted but no subjects were located.
Detection technology and a helicopter crew from the Office of Air and Marine helped Tucson Sector agents locate six adult Mexican males near the village of Santa Cruz, Arizona, carrying 12 backpacks of marijuana worth more than $303,000.
Agents processed the drugs for seizure, in accordance with Tucson Sector guidelines, and presented the six men for prosecution.
The WDTF is a joint initiative between U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office to combat narcotics trafficking in the West Desert region of Arizona.
Through targeted enforcement and multi-agency response, CBP continues to impact transnational criminal organizations by disrupting their ability to exploit Arizona’s border region. As a result, frustrated smugglers often abandon their contraband in hopes of eluding apprehension and subsequent prosecution.
