EDINBURG, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector arrested two convicted sex offenders and seized millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana in the last 24 hours.
Abandoned GMC pickup and marijuana bundles
Agents assigned to the Rio Grande City and McAllen Border Patrol stations arrested convicted sex offenders Thursday, who were attempting to enter the United States illegally. During processing, agents discovered the men, a Mexican and a Honduran national, both had previous convictions for sex crimes, including child molestation and sexual assault of a child.
Additionally, agents seized more than 2,600 pounds of narcotics with an estimated value of more than $2 million in multiple seizures Thursday. In one of the larger seizures, agents from the Rio Grande City Station were responding to narcotics smuggling activity near Garciasville when they found an abandoned GMC pickup truck. Inside the bed of the truck agents found 80 bundles of marijuana, with a weight of more than 900 pounds and a value of nearly $740,000. Agents transported the marijuana to the Rio Grande City Station for processing. Aviation support from the Office of Air and Marine assisted in the search and seizure.
The Rio Grande Valley Sector is part of the South Texas Corridor, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. To report suspicious activity, call the sector’s toll-free telephone number at 800-863-9382.