Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Nogales Station, along with Air and Marine Operations aircraft, seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana Thursday night after smugglers abandoned their loads and ran back into Mexico to avoid arrest.
Agents on the ground were responding to an Air and Marine Operations sighting of multiple suspects crossing the border east of Nogales with bundles of suspected marijuana. When agents arrived in the area of the group’s last known location, the smugglers dropped their packs and scattered.
Agents searched the area and found more than $154,000 worth of marijuana. An AMO helicopter crew flew in to assist in an extensive search for the suspects until the Border Patrol’s cameras detected the individuals crossing back into Mexico.
Agents transported the marijuana to the Nogales Station for processing before turning it over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.