Border Patrol wrapup

Agents seize more than 1 ton of pot

Posted Oct 13, 2011

Janet Rose Jackman
TucsonSentinel.com

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

Arrests

Naco Station agents arrested a 31-year-old Mexican man Wednesday for illegally entering the United States. During processing, the man admitted to being a member of the Sureño 13 gang. Record checks revealed he has convictions in Fresno, Calif., for having sex with a minor, battery, false imprisonment of an elderly dependent, and possession of a controlled substance. He had a prior removal. He was held for prosecution for re-entry of an aggravated felon.

Seizures

Ajo Station agents working in the West Desert on Wednesday responded to a report of a vehicle traveling without headlights and found an abandoned SUV with 179 bundles of marijuana stuffed inside. The pot, which weighed 2,014 pounds and worth $1,007,000, was taken to the Ajo Station for processing. The SUV was reported stolen from Goodyear and was turned over to the Tohono O’odham Police Department.

Also on Wednesday, Ajo Station agents tracked activity with surveillance equipment east of the Lukeville Port and apprehended five people attempting to smuggle 13 bundles of marijuana into the United States. The people all admitted to being Mexican citizens and to entering the country illegally. They were held on federal drug charges. The marijuana, which weighed 619 pounds and worth $309,500, were taken to the Ajo Station for processing.

Rescue and recovery

Agents from the Casa Grande Station discovered a human skull in the West Desert on Wednesday. The scene was turned over to the Tohono O’odham Police Department.

Ajo Station agents responded to the activation of a rescue beacon Wednesday and found two men, ages 36 and 28, who were lost in the desert. They were transported to the Ajo Station for processing and removal.