$638,000 of Narcotics Seized by Border Patrol
LORDSBURG, NEW MEXICO – U.S. Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Lordsburg Stations Horse Patrol Unit, with the assistance of Air and Marine units, tracked and located a group of narcotics smugglers Tuesday in the dense terrain of the mountains of southern New Mexico. This incident was one of many that resulted in drug seizures as part of a very busy week for agents in that region.
The 412-pound seizure carries an estimated street value of $330,240.
Agents first discovered that several individuals crossed the U.S. / Mexico border on foot near Antelope Wells on Saturday, and began tracking them through the Animas Valley. Due to the difficulty of terrain, the search became tedious. Agents remained persistent in pursuing the suspected illegal crossers over a span of three days. The combined effort of agents on the ground and assistance from members of the Office of Air and Marine-El Paso Air Branch resulted in the seizure of 412 pounds of marijuana in the “Cowboy Pass” area, approximately 45 miles north of the starting point.
Among those arrested in connection with the seizure were: Isidro Torres-Nunez, 24, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Delgado, 22, both of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico; Felipe de Jesus Beltran-Torres, 21, of Tamazula, Durango, Mexico; and Aron Jovan Baldarrama-Villanueva, 20, of Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. The suspects were place in custody and Agents recovered seven burlap wrapped, makeshift backpacks containing individually wrapped packages of marijuana. The 412-pound seizure carries an estimated street value of $330,240. Also apprehended in the group of smugglers was Gustavo Aispuro-Corral, a Mexican national who had been hired to travel with the crowd for the purpose of carrying food and supplies.
On November 18, 2014, United States Border Patrol Agents utilizing a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system, located four subjects in the desert walking northbound from the United States/Mexico International Boundary.
Agents near the group were guided by the FLIR Agent to the location of the subjects, who were hiding in the dense brush in an attempt to conceal themselves and the four bundles of marijuana they were trying to smuggle further into the United States. The marijuana bundles totaled to 204 pounds, with an approximate street value of $163,360.
Of the four subjects apprehended, one individual was determined to be a juvenile of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Early Wednesday morning, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Border Patrol Agents apprehended a second group near mile marker 52 on Interstate 10. Roman Tapia-Lozano, 36, Flavio Ruiz-Cabada, 18, and a male juvenile subject, all Mexican nationals, were arrested attempting to smuggle three burlap sacks containing marijuana into the United States. The total weight of the narcotics totaled 180 pounds, with an approximate street value of $144,480.