At 6 a.m. on Nov. 9, a Pinal County Sheriff’s detective with the Anti-smuggling Unit observed a Dodge SUV with a suspended registration driving east on Interstate 8. The deputy attempted to stop the Dodge SUV on Interstate 8 west of Trekell Road. The vehicle did not yield to the emergency lights and continued eastbound on the highway.
A second vehicle, a full-sized pickup truck, sped up behind the deputy and tried to force the deputy off the road and get in between the deputy’s vehicle and the Dodge SUV being pursued. Unsuccessful in trying to get between the two vehicles, the pickup truck then moved in behind the deputy’s fully-marked truck and tailgated dangerously close at freeway speeds or higher.
The Dodge SUV exited southbound on Trekell Road, as did the pickup truck behind the deputy’s vehicle. The pursuit went south on Trekell Road at speeds up to 75 mph. The pickup truck followed closely behind the deputy for a few more miles, then backed off. The Dodge SUV pulled to the side of Trekell Road and three occupants fled into the desert. The pickup truck that had tried to run the deputy off the road fled from the area as well. The deputy found seven camouflaged packs in the abandoned SUV containing what is believed to be marijuana smuggled in from Mexico. The smugglers were not located.
Commenting on the latest confrontation with drug smugglers, Sheriff Babeu said, “This may seem like a repeat of last week’s news out of Pinal County, but the sad reality is, that our detectives put their lives on the line every day interdicting drugs and confronting smugglers. The smugglers have no regard for the law as witnessed by our detective yesterday morning. They will go to great lengths to get their drugs through our county and onto the streets.”