LAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Marine Unit and the Laredo North Station, prevented a narcotic smuggling attempt and seized several bundles of marijuana in the Rio Grande.
The incident occurred on Dec. 7, when Laredo North Station agents acted on a report of several individuals crossing the river with bundles of suspected narcotics near west Laredo. Agents with the Laredo Sector Foreign Operations Branch requested assistance from Secretaria de La Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), who is responsible for managing Mexico’s Army and Air Forces. Responding agents deterred the subjects’ entry into the U.S. The narcotics smugglers made landfall on an island in the middle of the Rio Grande River, abandoned the narcotics, and returned to the Mexican riverbanks. A short while later, subjects fled from the area before SEDENA could arrive. Once SEDENA and Border Patrol agents secured the riverbanks, Marine Unit agents landed on the island and seized the narcotics bundles which had an approximate weight of nearly 900 lbs., and an estimated street value of $704,592.
Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents continue to secure the Nation’s borders and prevent the smuggling of drugs. Their mission is to target and investigate potential violators of the law and stop transnational criminal organizations from their illegally activities by utilizing state-of-the-art intelligence data, equipment, collection, and analytics to coordinate the seizure of contraband before it can be distributed in our communities.
If you see something suspicious, report it by contacting our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-343-1994. Together, we can continue to uphold national security and combat illicit activity.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.