U. S. Border Patrol agents from Tucson Sector’s Sonoita Border Patrol Station arrested six suspected smugglers and seized 1,764 pounds of marijuana and five vehicles over the weekend.
Agents working near Huachuca City, Ariz., with the assistance of a canine team, seized a vehicle Friday containing 48 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,202 pounds. The driver and passenger were taken into custody and transported to the Sonoita Station, along with the marijuana and vehicle, for further processing. Both subjects face possible federal prosecution.
The following morning, agents observed several subjects carrying backpacks of what appeared to be marijuana and walking toward four pickup trucks parked near Washington Camp. Agents approached the vehicles and determined the backpacks contained narcotics. All four subjects were taken into custody. The vehicles, marijuana and subjects were transported to the Sonoita Station for further processing. The 32 bundles of marijuana, weighing 562 pounds and worth an estimated $281,000, will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. All subjects face possible federal prosecution.