Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents seized over 200 pounds of marijuana after smugglers ferried a vehicle laden with contraband across the Rio Grande.
On Tuesday, December 4, 2019, Fort Brown agents responded to a report of a Ford Ranger pickup truck being ferried across the Rio Grande near Brownsville, Texas. Agents arrived made contact with the pickup and the driver of the truck turned back towards the river. During the pursuit, a Border Patrol agent driving a marked vehicle rolled his vehicle on its side.
The driver of the pickup truck continued driving south and drove into the river. A backup agent attempting to secure the vehicle encountered a smuggler who was attempting to retrieve the bundles of marijuana. During the attempted arrest, the agent deployed his Electronic Control Weapon (ECW) on the assaultive suspect. The subject was able to abscond by jumping into the river, swimming back to Mexico.
Agents discovered 11 bundles of marijuana, weighing approximately 265 pounds with an estimated street value of over 210K inside the vehicle.
Emergency Medical Services was requested as a precaution for the agent involved in the rollover.
