Feds seize more than 4 tons of pot in RGV over the weekend

U.S. BORDER PATROL | DRUG SEIZURES

Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol picked up more than four tons of marijuana during several seizures throughout the Rio Grande Valley last weekend.

During 13 seizures, the agents intercepted more than 8,800 pounds of marijuana.

The seizures, ranging between 89 and more than 3,000 pounds carried an estimated street value of more than $7 million.

The largest find came near Escobares on Friday, where agents discovered nearly 3,150 pounds of marijuana abandoned there.

Agents from the McAllen station saw two vehicles leave Butterfly Park Saturday afternoon near Mission. Both drivers abandoned the vehicles, one of which was driven into the Rio Grande. Mission police and fire department divers helped recover the submerged vehicle.

Authorities found 1,101 pounds of marijuana inside both vehicles.

On Friday, agents near Brownsville pulled a Chevrolet Suburban that had sunk into the Rio Grande and found more than 1,400 pounds of marijuana inside.

HIDALGO | DRUG SEIZURE

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered close to $113,000 of marijuana inside a van's gas tank Saturday afternoon at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.

The 1997 Chevrolet van was called into secondary inspection, where an X-ray exam of the vehicle revealed anomalies with the gas tank, according to a Customs and Border Protection release.

Following the scan, "Justice," a narcotic detector dog, picked up the marijuana's scent from beneath the van.

Inside the tank, officers discovered 141 pounds of marijuana sealed inside two metal containers.

The man, a 34-year-old Mexican citizen who had been living in Goshen, Indiana, remains in custody, pending an appearance before a U.S. Immigration Judge.

CBP officers seized the van and the drugs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents continue to investigate the failed smuggling attempt.
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Monitor staff writer Jared Taylor compiled this report.