11/27/2009

News / Border Patrol in Ajo, Ariz. Seizes $1.5 Million in Marijuana

Ajo, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo, Ariz. station seized a load of marijuana early Wednesday with an estimated street value of $1.5 million.


In the early morning hour on Wednesday, agents detected tracks along the International Boundary fence consistent with a vehicle circumventing the fence by ramping. Using night vision technology, agents confirmed their suspicions when they acquire a visual of the suspect vehicle. The agents were able to track the vehicle down to its last known position and discovered it concealed in a wash with a tarp.

All occupants of the vehicle had fled the scene prior to the Border Patrol’s arrival, but left a stash of marijuana concealed in the vehicle. The marijuana and the vehicle were seized and transported to the Ajo Station for processing. A total of 1,869 pounds of marijuana was recovered from the vehicle.


The Border Patrol’s effectiveness in impeding the flow of marijuana into the United States has forced smugglers to use more creative smuggling methods. Infrastructure, such as the border fence, prevents vehicles from easily driving across the border. As a result, smugglers are using ramps with greater frequency in an attempt to circumvent border improvements.


Technology, including night-vision binoculars, also has increased agents’ ability to detect suspicious activity and improve response times to locations.


Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized a record 1.2 million pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of more than $961 million, in Fiscal Year 2009. Approximately 47 percent of all marijuana seized on the Southwest border was seized in the Tucson Sector during this time.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/11272009_4.xml

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