Border Patrol sweeps up 3,200 pounds of pot

MISSION — Nearly 3,200 pounds of marijuana, valued at more than $2.5 million, was confiscated by U.S. Border Patrol agents in multiple unrelated seizures Thursday.

The largest seizure occurred in Mission, when agents from the McAllen Station received information about smuggling activity in the area, according to a news release from U.S. Border Patrol.

Agents found 24 bundles of marijuana hidden throughout the brush after searching an area with the assistance of a K-9 team, officials said. The drugs weighed more than 2,000 pounds and have a value of more than $1.6 million.

As the agents continued to search the brush, they also found a man who was fleeing the area and took him into custody, agents said. His identity was not released.

In Rio Grande City, agents also confiscated more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana in multiple incidents.  Agents seized more than 500 pounds of pot after spotting several people near Escobares walking north from the Rio Grande with large bundles on their backs, agents said. When the agents approached the group, the smugglers dropped their cargo and fled into thick brush.

The marijuana seized by both stations was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.