Border Patrol Agents Seize over $750,000 in Marijuana

Alamogordo, New Mexico Border Patrol Agents from the El Paso Sector had a busy start to the month as they seized over 950 pounds of marijuana in four separate incidents on the first day of August. Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Alamogordo, New Mexico traffic checkpoint on U.S. 54 apprehended a man from Mexico driving a Chevy Avalanche after a K-9 unit detected that the vehicle he was driving was loaded with narcotics, Saturday. Agents observed the man driving the truck as he approached the primary inspection area and proceeded to question him. During preliminary inspection, the subject gave conflicting information and displayed unusual mannerisms leading the agents to suspect possible criminal activity. The driver was then referred to a secondary inspection, where a non-intrusive search by a canine unit alerted on the presence of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed 214 bundles of marijuana with a combined weight of 524 pounds. The contraband, with an estimated value of $419,200, was discovered in various after market compartments that were build into the vehicle. Agents in Lordsburg were also busy Saturday tracking a group of individuals that had made their way across the U.S./ Mexico border on foot. The smugglers soon discovered the agents were closing in and decided to abandon the narcotics and run back to Mexico. Although the smugglers managed to make it back across the border, they were forced to abandon over 350 pounds of marijuana with a value of approximately $285,600. On that same day, Agents from Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences arrested two men in separate encounters when the vehicles they were in were found to have marijuana hidden inside. One vehicle had a suitcase with 35 pounds of pot hidden inside. The second individual was arrested when it was discovered that the 1994 Nissan Sentra he was driving had 34 pounds of narcotics hidden in the front and rear bumpers of the car. In both cases, the individuals responsible were arrested and subsequently turned over to the New Mexico State Police. So far in fiscal year 2009 the El Paso Sector Border Patrol have seized over $65,000,000 in narcotics.