The Pima County Board of Supervisors may have thwarted Operation Stonegarden efforts to the south, but in Pinal County, deputies are engaged and interdicting drugs by the car load.
Just this week, a Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy, while on patrol, noticed a Chrysler PT Cruiser run a stop sign. The deputy pulled the car over near Interstate 8 and Midway Road. When the vehicle came to a stop, the driver, 21-year-old Oscar Antonio Mora Olias, and passenger, 44-year-old Francisco Martinez Moreno, jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the desert. Deputies, along with Stonegarden units and Border Patrol agents searched the area for the suspects. Both Oscar and Francisco were tracked down and taken into custody. Deputies located 191 pounds of marijuana in the back seat and trunk of the vehicle.
“You never know what you are going to uncover during a traffic stop. Our deputies did a fantastic job getting the suspects and stopping these drugs from making it any further into our state,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb. “Our partnership with Border Patrol and Operation Stonegarden is essential to keeping our community and communities across our nation safe.”
The Operation Stonegarden Program supports enhanced cooperation and coordination among Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Border Patrol (USBP), and local, tribal, territorial, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies. The OPSG Program funds investments in joint efforts to secure the United States borders along routes of ingress from international borders to include travel corridors in states bordering Mexico and Canada, as well as states and territories with international water borders.
Both suspects are facing numerous drug charges to include Conspiracy, Transportation of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana for Sale and Possession of Marijuana. Deputies found cocaine on Oscar Antonio Mora Olias. He is facing an additional charge of Possession of a Narcotic (Cocaine).