Two stolen vehicles carrying roughly 2,000 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of over one million dollars were seized in the early morning hours of March 8, 2013 in the desert east of Gila Bend, Arizona, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
A mid-size SUV stuffed from the floorboards to the roof together with an overloaded extended cab pick-up truck were left abandoned by their drivers and occupants after a chase at around 1:30 a.m. The Maricopa County HIDTA Drug Suppression Task Force made the seizure following a pursuit that involved a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. An extensive search of the area was conducted, and the location of the suspects is still under investigation.
The multi-agency task force works high intensity drug trafficking areas like the one where this stop was made and is headed up by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier this week, suspect Efrain Nunez was charged for transporting 1,000 pounds of marijuana. He was arrested while driving a van in Glendale with the nearly $500,000 payload.
“Illegal drug seizures like this one continue to highlight a wide open border for smugglers of all kinds into Arizona.” Arpaio continues, “These suspects will be tracked down and charged for their crimes while new procedures will be put in place to contain future fleeing suspects.”