EDINBURG, Texas –Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents seize over 860 pounds of marijuana in smuggling attempts by the Rio Grande.
On the afternoon of Oct. 30, an agent monitoring the aerostat reported a vehicle traveling north at a high rate of speed on a road through a gap in the border wall in Abrams, Texas. The opening is primarily used by local farmers.
Responding agents located the vehicle on Old Military Road and followed as it began to head back south towards the Rio Grande. The driver absconded from the moving vehicle at the river road. Agents quickly secured the vehicle and discovered the cab and bed of the black Dodge Ram pick-up truck were loaded with bundles of marijuana. A total of 30 bundles of marijuana were recovered from the truck weighing more than 680 pounds and having an estimated street value of over $540,000. The driver was not located.
On Oct. 31, at approximately 7 p.m., a Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station (RGC) agent assigned to the aerostat observed numerous subjects by the river road in Escobares, Texas. Moments later, the aerostat operator observed a sport utility vehicle travel south towards the river road then exit at a high rate of speed. Responding agents encountered the vehicle abandoned near the bank of the Rio Grande. A Customs and Border Protection air asset spotted a number of subjects carrying bundles and returning to Mexico through the river.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, RGC agents responded to narcotic smuggling activity in La Grulla, Texas. A Border Patrol canine handler led agents to an area where his service K9 was alerting to. Agents searched the area and located four bundles hidden in the brush. The bundles weighed over 180 pounds with an estimated street value of over $145,000. No subjects were located.
The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382.
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