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  4. Border Patrol Stops 1,000 Pound Drug Smuggling Attempt at Border

Border Patrol Stops 1,000 Pound Drug Smuggling Attempt at Border

Release Date
Wed, 08/31/2011

Calexico, CA. - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro station arrested two smugglers on August 31 attempting to transport more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana across the U.S.-Mexico border approximately 20 miles west of Calexico.

Border Patrol agents operating a remote video surveillance system spotted a suspicious vehicle driving at a high rate of speed along the border at around 1 a.m. Agents in the area were notified and quickly responded as the vehicle began to travel northbound through the desert.

As the vehicle made its way across the desert, it became high-centered in the rough terrain, rendering it immobile. The driver and passenger abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee back into Mexico. Both subjects were apprehended by Border Patrol agents shortly after.

The vehicle was searched and found to contain several packages of marijuana valued at an estimated $815,000. The suspects were identified as Mexican males and were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and narcotics.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021