Marfa, Texas - Good police work on the part of a Fort Stockton Border Patrol agent resulted in the seizure of 282 pounds of marijuana last week. The marijuana has a street value of more than $225,000.
The agent was on patrol on Highway 285 south of Fort Stockton on January 27, when he encountered an obviously over-loaded Toyota 4 Runner. The driver appeared to the agent to be very nervous. After a license plate check revealed the vehicle was a rental from El Paso, Texas, the agent pulled the vehicle over to make an immigration inspection. It is not uncommon for rental vehicles to be used to smuggle illegal aliens and narcotics.
When the agent approached the vehicle he noticed poorly covered bundles that were packaged in a manner consistent with narcotics loads.
The driver was a 37-year-old man from Kansas. The driver, the vehicle and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.