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Baby injured when suspect drug smuggler flees Border Patrol
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Baby injured when suspect drug smuggler flees Border Patrol

Driver hits power pole in attempted escape, 108 pounds of pot found

An injured baby was discovered in the vehicle of a suspected drug smuggler after the man struck a power pole while attempting to drive through the desert to escape Border Patrol agents.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents and Cochise County Sheriff’s deputies, responding to a report Thursday of a man loading suspected drugs into a vehicle west of Douglas, attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver sped off into the desert, hitting the power pole.

The driver continued to give chase before stopping at vacant residence, where officers took him into custody. A woman and the baby were found in the vehicle.

The 8-month-old baby girl and her 29-year-old mother were transported by helicopter to a local hospital where the infant was being treated for a possible broken collarbone.

Deputies and agents recovered four bundles of marijuana, weighing 108 pounds and worth $54,000, at the scene, the Border Patrol said.

The driver was cited by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for reckless endangerment and was being held pending federal drug smuggling charges.

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