Tucson, Ariz. – Three marijuana seizures in a single day by Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station will prevent more than 2,269 pounds of marijuana, valued in excess of $1.1 million, from reaching American streets.
Yesterday, Ajo Station agents stopped smugglers in their tracks, resulting in the seizure of approximately 107 bundles of marijuana.
In the first smuggling attempt, agents followed suspicious tire tracks to an abandoned Chevrolet Tahoe loaded with more than 1,700 pounds of marijuana. The vehicle was reported stolen earlier in the month.
Later in the day, agents alerted to a suspected group of illegal aliens west of Ajo, Arizona, investigated the area and captured two individuals. Shortly after the apprehension, a helicopter crew from the Office of Air Marine’s Tucson Air Branch searched the area and found two bundles of marijuana.
In a third incident, an OAM aircrew spotted a group of suspected smugglers in a remote area of the desert and directed agents on the ground to 10 bundles of abandoned marijuana.
Officers from the Tohono O’odham Police Department took possession of the stolen vehicle. Agents will hand the marijuana over to the DEA.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents work tirelessly to combat smuggling across the Arizona/Sonora border. As a result, frustrated smugglers often abandon their contraband in hopes of eluding apprehension and subsequent prosecution.