U.S. Border Patrol Agents Arrest Six Suspected Smugglers

March 01, 2010 - Wellton, Ariz. - U.S. Border Patrol agents seized several bundles of marijuana Saturday morning and arrested six suspected smugglers in a desolate area of southwest Arizona.

Border Patrol agents assigned to Camp Grip detected the illegal entry of six people at about 6 a.m. approximately 30 miles west of the Lukeville, Ariz., port of entry. Agents tracked the group for nearly three hours across the harsh desert terrain, apprehending all six suspected smugglers attempting to smuggle makeshift backpacks of marijuana into the country.

Agents seized six bundles of marijuana weighing 262 pounds with an estimated street value of $209,600. Border Patrol agents turned the suspected smugglers and marijuana over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Camp Grip is Yuma Sector’s forward operating base, designed to maintain operational control of the seam between the Yuma and Tucson sectors. Camp Grip’s success is evidence of the Border Patrol’s ability to deploy a mobile enforcement stance in remote areas of southwest Arizona. The Yuma Sector deploys Border Patrol agents to Camp Grip to deter and detect all threats attempting to enter the United States illegally through the Sonoran desert.