EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector (RGV) agents interdicted three narcotic smuggling attempts worth more than $1.3 million. In one case they also rescued a fleeing smuggler.
Saturday morning, Brownsville Border Patrol Station agents working in Brownsville, Texas, observed three subjects carrying bundles running north from the Rio Grande near the River Bend Resort and Golf Club. The smugglers reached Military Highway and then dropped the bundles and retreated towards the Rio Grande after encountering Border Patrol agents. A camera operator confirmed the three entered the Rio Grande and reached the Mexican riverbank. The seized marijuana weighed more than 130 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $100,000. The Drug Enforcement Administration took custody of the marijuana.
Sunday evening, RGV agents working in Salineno, Texas, observed a jon boat with multiple subjects cross the Rio Grande towards the United States. The boat dropped off several subjects carrying bundles at the U.S. riverbank. The subjects loaded several bundles into an awaiting green Ford Expedition. Agents approached the vehicle as it attempted to leave the area. Several subjects exited the vehicle and ran towards Mexico. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers arrived and assisted in searching for the subjects. A 24-year-old Mexican national jumped into the Rio Grande attempting to flee to Mexico and began struggling to stay afloat. Border Patrol agents and DPS troopers rescued the subject and brought him on shore. The eight bundles of marijuana weighed nearly 685 pounds with an estimated street value of over $545,000. The case was turned over to the state.
Additionally, nearly $700K worth of heroin was seized at the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol Checkpoint.
The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382.
Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements.
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