Smuggler Abandons Nearly Half Ton of Marijuana


Weslaco, Texas - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Weslaco, Texas Station seized more than 900 pounds of marijuana on Monday with the assistance of Alamo Police.

Agents on patrol south of San Juan, Texas observed a tan sport utility vehicle departing the Rio Grande River at a high rate of speed. Once the agents approached the vehicle, they noticed what appeared to be bundles in the cargo area of the vehicle. The agents requested support from Alamo Police and the vehicle was subsequently stopped by the agency. The occupants of the vehicle fled, abandoning the vehicle in an Alamo neighborhood.

An illegal alien was apprehended in the immediate vicinity of the suspect vehicle and transported to the Weslaco Border Patrol Station along with the SUV. A detailed inspection of the vehicle revealed 122 bundles of marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $700,000. Record checks on the apprehended man revealed an extensive criminal history. He was detained pending immigration procedures.

The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the narcotics.