Four Smuggling Events Lead to 35 Arrests and Seizure of 235 Pounds of Marijuana
Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents with the assistance from state authorities disrupted four smuggling events.
On July 26, RGV agents attempted to initiate an immigration inspection on the occupants of a Jeep Cherokee near Brownsville. The vehicle failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit that ended when the driver entered a trailer park where multiple subjects then bailed out. Agents apprehended four migrants who were all unlawfully present in the U.S. A search of the vehicle revealed five bundles of marijuana weighing more than 235 pounds with a street value more than $188.000 USD. Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) troopers took custody of the driver to face state charges.
Hours later, TXDPS troopers requested assistance from McAllen Border Patrol Station (MCS) agents for a vehicle pursuit in Palmview. The pursuit came to an end when the driver abruptly came to a stop and several subjects were observed absconding into the nearby brush. A search of the immediate area resulted in the apprehension of 15 migrants all unlawfully present in the U.S. The driver was not located.
Weslaco Border Patrol Station agents attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Avalanche suspected of transporting migrants. The driver failed to yield to the agent’s marked service unit and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The vehicle temporarily came to a stop near Progreso, where several subjects exited the vehicle and fled into the brush. The driver continued north toward U.S. Expressway 83, where TXDPS troopers took lead on the pursuit. The driver ultimately came to a stop in Brownsville, where troopers arrested the U.S. citizen driver. Agents apprehend four migrants located within the brush.
Last night, MCS camera operators observed a suspicious vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in a well-known smuggling area near Los Ebanos. MCS agents encountered the vehicle and attempted to initiate a vehicle stop. When the driver failed to yield and sped away, TXDPS troopers took the lead on the pursuit. The driver, a U.S. citizen, eventually came to a stop and multiple subjects bailed out. Agents apprehended eight migrants, all determined to be illegally present in the U.S. TXDPS took custody of the driver and passenger to face state charges.