Ajo, Ariz. - Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo, Ariz. station seized more than one thousand pounds of marijuana Sunday evening near the Barry M. Goldwater bombing range. The estimated value of the seized marijuana was more than $958,000.
Security officers assigned to the Barry M. Goldwater Range contacted the agents working the checkpoint located at State Route 85, after spotting a suspicious vehicle. Agents responding to the call discovered 98 bundles of marijuana stashed in the vehicle.
Border Patrol agents have been extremely effective at preventing large quantities of illegal drugs from reaching our communities. The continued success of the Border Patrol's "defense in depth" strategy allows agents conducting checkpoint operations to disrupt the pathways of illegal drug smugglers. "This seizure is another example of how the Border Patrol's strategy is working," said Ajo Station's Patrol Agent in Charge Brian Hastings.
In the first three months of this fiscal year (October through December), agents in the Tucson Sector seized more than 270,000 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value greater than $122 million. During the same period last year, the Tucson Sector seized more than 230,000 pounds of marijuana.