A Sonoita Station Border Patrol Canine Team working near Patagonia found 51 bundles of marijuana Tuesday afternoon.
The Sonoita Station utilizes a multi-tiered, deterrence-based operational strategy in which agents are deployed in highly visible and strategic locations.
These agents are supported and backed by a network of agents, acting as a tier, in order to provide in-depth coverage of the international border we safeguard.
An agent from Sonoita and his canine partner checking trails commonly used by narcotics and human smugglers identified suspicious footprints that led them to further investigate.
The team followed the tracks until they came upon 45 abandoned bundles of marijuana.
Additional agents responded to assist and discovered six more bundles a short distance away.
In total, agents seized almost 1000 pounds of marijuana valued in excess of $480,000.
A search of the area yielded negative results for anyone who may have been involved in the smuggling attempt.
Agents transported the bundles to the Sonoita Station for processing in accordance to Tucson Sector guidelines.
The Sonoita Station is located near the junction of State Routes 82 and 83 in Santa Cruz County. The station lies approximately 25 miles north of the international border and about 49 miles southeast of the Tucson Sector Headquarters.
The Station is responsible for patrolling 24.3 linear miles of international border and an overall area that encompasses nearly 1,000 square miles.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry.
CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
