Posted by AP May 17, 2005
CBP Border Patrol Checkpoint Nets Large
Cache of Drugs
I-19 Checkpoint and K-9 led to the seizure of over 2 Tons
of Marijuana
Tucson, AZ -- On Friday, May 13, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents working the I-19 checkpoint located near Amado, Arizona, seized 4,788 pounds of marijuana in a tractor-trailer.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., a tractor-trailer approached the primary inspection point. After a brief inspection, a K-9 alerted to the trailer portion of the truck. The tractor-trailer was directed to a secondary inspection area. In secondary, agents discovered 220 bundles of marijuana hidden among pallets of watermelons. The estimated value of the marijuana is approximately $3,830,480. The driver, tractor-trailer, and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
CBP Border Patrol checkpoints are a critical enforcement tool that serves as a second tier of a multi-layered border enforcement strategy for carrying out the mission of securing our nation's borders against terrorists, their weapons, other contraband and illegal aliens. CBP Border Patrol is deploying assets to immediate threat areas and establishing a comprehensive enforcement web that denies northbound routes of egress for smugglers and potential terrorists. One of the key elements of the National Border Patrol Strategy is deploying a defense-in-depth approach, which makes full use of interior checkpoints, and enforcement operations that are vital to the security of the United States.
Since the beginning of fiscal year 2005, the Tucson Sector has interdicted 308,000 pounds of marijuana.
