Agents seize more than 1 ton of pot

A summary of Border Patrol activities in the Tucson Sector over the past 24 hours, provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Arrests

Sonoita Station agents apprehended a 38-year-old from Sinaloa, Mexico, on Tuesday who illegally entered the United States. During processing, agents discovered the man had prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance in Pasadena, Fontana, and Riverside, Calif., and affiliations with the Sureño 11 gang in San Pedro, Calif. He was previously removed from the United States through San Ysidro, Calif. The man was held for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for illegal re-entry of an aggravated felon.

Casa Grande Station agents apprehended a 36-year-old male from Chihuahua, Mexico, on Tuesday night after he illegally entered the United States. Record checks found he had a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit accessory to murder in March in Clark County, Nev., and a prior removal from the United States. He was held for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for illegal re-entry of an aggravated felon.

Seizures

On Tuesday night, Nogales Station agents responded to a call of suspicious activity on the east side of Nogales and found an abandoned vehicle containing four bundles of marijuana. The driver, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, was found and was taken into custody and transported to the station for processing. The marijuana weighed almost 222 pounds and has an estimated street value of $110,950. The vehicle was seized and the drugs were to be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sonoita Station agents discovered an abandoned pickup truck Tuesday night stuck on an embankment west of Harshaw. Agents discovered 85 bundles of marijuana in the cab and in the bed concealed under plywood. The vehicle and narcotics were taken to the station for processing. The marijuana weighed more than 1,992 pounds and has an estimated street value of $996,250.

Willcox Station agents attempted to stop a vehicle Tuesday morning that was trying to circumvent the Border Patrol checkpoint on S.R. 80. The vehicle fled from the agents and a short time later, the SUV was found abandoned with14 bundles of marijuana inside. Agents apprehended two 21-year-olds, one a U.S. citizen and the other an illegal immigrant, who were taken to the station for processing. The narcotics and vehicle were seized. The marijuana weighed more than 336 pounds and has an estimated street value of $168,100

Rescues

On Tuesday, Casa Grande Station agents certified as emergency medical technicians and air crew from the Office of Air & Marine found a Mexican man lying on the ground next to a fire in the West Desert. The man said he fell from a tree and started the fire in hopes of being located. He was treated at a nearby hospital and released for processing and removal from the United States.