Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Since Friday, Rio Grande Valley agents seized nearly 500 pounds of marijuana combined in two separate incidents.
Friday evening, Brownsville agents on patrol near the Rio Grande observed multiple subjects walking north carrying suspected bundles of drugs. As the agents attempted to arrest them, the smugglers dropped the bundles and fled to Mexico. Agents searched the brush and seized more than 140 pounds of marijuana worth more than $113K.
On Sunday, agents received information of a Chevrolet pickup traveling south towards the Rio Grande. Minutes later, a nearby Customs and Border Protection Officer (CBPO) observed the same pickup traveling north of the river levee. The CBPO then performed a vehicle stop to conduct an immigration inspection. During the interview, the driver consented to a search of the vehicle. During the search, officers discovered more than 350 pounds of marijuana worth over $281K. The driver was placed under arrest and he was transported to the station for processing. Border Patrol turned the case over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements.
