YUMA – Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents assigned arrested four different groups attempting to smuggle 534 pounds of methamphetamine worth nearly $1 million through the desert.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on Saturday at about 3 p.m., Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents spotted a group hiding under a palo verde tree on the Luke Air Force Base bombing range east of Wellton, Arizona. Agents approached the tree and apprehended a 17-year-old unaccompanied child and a 48-year-old man as they tried to flee the area. They also located three backpacks containing 120 pounds of methamphetamine under the tree.
Agents took custody of the smugglers and the methamphetamine, estimated to be worth $216,000.
Less than 24 hours later, according to CBP, an agent operating an all-terrain vehicle near Sentinel, Arizona, encountered a group of three, who were also hiding under a tree in the area. Agents discovered the men carrying backpacks containing 110 pounds of methamphetamine, worth $198,000.
Agents arrested the men and seized the methamphetamine.
On Monday morning, agents assigned to Wellton’s Target Enforcement Unit encountered two different groups of nine. Both groups were detected and subsequently apprehended east of Wellton. One of the groups was found to be smuggling 195 pounds of methamphetamine worth $351,000 while the other group was attempting to smuggle 109 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $196,000.
In all the events, the smugglers were wearing camouflage clothing to conceal themselves and blend in with the environment. They also wore foam and carpet booties over their shoes to avoid leaving shoe prints in the dirt.