DeyTimes E-News


 CBP Border Patrol Agents Disable Drug Smuggling Operation
El Paso Sector Fabens Station Agents seize 2,773 pounds
of Marijuana valued at $2.2 million
(Thursday, April 15, 2004)

Fabens, Texas-One subject is behind bars today after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents in Fabens, Texas discovered 2,773 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle 5.7 miles east of Fabens on Texas Highway 20.

On Wednesday, Border Patrol Agents working east of the Fabens Port of Entry observed a group of subjects cross the international boundary carrying bundles. The subjects then hid in an irrigation canal north of the Rio Grande River. A short time later, a pick-up truck was seen traveling toward this area. Agents watched as the bundles were loaded into the truck. Upon completion, the individuals that were carrying the bundles returned south to Mexico. The truck, a 1984 GMC pick-up, was then observed leaving the area.

Agents followed the vehicle from a distance and attempted a traffic stop based on what they observed. The driver, 23-year old Ricardo Camacho-Covarrubias, pulled off the road, exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Agents quickly apprehended Camacho-Covarrubias, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico and had entered the U.S. without proper immigration documents.

Several cellophane-wrapped bundles were observed through the windshield, in the bed of the truck, and in the cab of the truck. Agents noted there was hardly room for the driver to sit because there were so many bundles stuffed in the cab. A Border Patrol canine was brought in and alerted to the engine compartment, cab and truck bed area. Upon further inspection, 361 bundles of various size and weight were located. The total weight of the marijuana was determined to be 2,773.87 pounds, valued at approximately $2.2 million.

The truck, narcotics, and Camacho-Covarrubias, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in El Paso for prosecution.

To date in fiscal year 2004, agents in the El Paso Sector have made 787 narcotic seizures, valued at $130.9 million.

The Border Patrol is a division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our nation's borders.
 

CBP Border Patrol Seizes Over 5,200 Pounds
of Marijuana in Weekend Busts
 Seizures valued at over 4.1 million dollars
(Monday, April 05, 2004)

Falfurrias, Texas - The first seizure came on Friday evening at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Falfurrias Border Patrol traffic checkpoint. As CBP Border Patrol agents were conducting immigration checkpoint operations, a Freightliner tractor-trailer approached the checkpoint. As the agent on primary inspection conducted an immigration inspection, a Border Patrol canine unit conducted a routine, non-intrusive "sniff" of the truck and trailer. The canine alerted to the trailer.

The vehicle was referred to the secondary inspection area where agents again utilized a CBP canine to search the cargo of the trailer. The canine alerted to a box sitting on a pallet. The agents examined the box and found several bundles of marijuana. A further search revealed 259 bundles of marijuana. The marijuana has an estimated value of $1,352,000. The case was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The second seizure was in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning in the town of Falcon Heights, Texas. CBP Border Patrol agents assigned to the McAllen Sector's Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station were on routine patrol when they caught a glimpse of a vehicle traveling north from the river area with its headlights off. As the agents searched the small town for the vehicle, they encountered several subjects at a residence unloading bundles from two pickup trucks and a gooseneck trailer. When the subjects noticed the agents, they literally dropped what they were doing and ran off into nearby brush. Agents found bundles of marijuana strewn throughout the yard, with a trail of bundles leading into the house. Both vehicles had bundles of marijuana scattered around them and the doors were left open with bundles clearly visible inside. Agents seized 211 bundles of marijuana, two pickup trucks and a 20' gooseneck flatbed trailer. The marijuana weighed 3,542 pounds with an estimated value of $2,833,600.

"This is a prime example of how capable and determined our Border Patrol Agents are," stated Chief Patrol Agent Ramon T. Ortega. "Regardless of the weather conditions, through their dedication and perseverance they were able to successfully seize this immense amount of contraband."

The Border Patrol is a division of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for managing and securing our Nation's borders