In Two Separate Incidents, Sierra Blanca Border Patrol Agents Seize 27 Men, 1,200 Lbs. of Pot in Eagle Mountains
In two incidents in the Eagle Mountains southeast of Sierra Blanca last week, Border Patrol agents apprehended 27 men carrying backpacks loaded with marijuana. The marijuana seized in the two incidents totaled more than 1,200 lbs, and, along with the seizure of other backpack loads near Van Horn and Sanderson, contributed to a haul of more than 2,000 lbs. of marijuana in the Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector over a three-day period.
The two Hudspeth County incidents took place on Friday and Saturday (March 13 and 14), and the Border Patrol said that air crews with the Alpine Branch of Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine “played a vital role” in both sets of apprehensions. Border Patrol agents from the Sierra Blanca station apprehended the backpackers in both incidents, and the men and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. All 27 men apprehended in the two incidents were Mexican citizens, the Border Patrol said.
The smuggling of drugs on foot, and in backpacks, is a longstanding phenomenon in the desert country of West Texas; bypassing checkpoints, the hikers often leave the drugs to be picked up along area highways. But the number of individuals apprehended and the amount of marijuana seized in the Big Bend Sector last week was unusual. The Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector stretches from Sierra Blanca to the Terrell-Val Verde County line, east of Sanderson, spanning 510 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Border Patrol said that backpackers typically carry about 50 lbs. of contraband each. Drug cartels often operate what are effectively toll booths near the border, requiring individuals who are seeking to enter the United States illegally, for work or other purposes, to pay a quota or fee; people who cannot pay the quota may be forced to transport drugs in backpacks, according to law enforcement officers familiar with dynamics along the border.
The first apprehension of backpackers last week took place on Thursday, March 12. Agents patrolling south of Van Horn followed foot tracks to discover four backpacks hidden in a dry creek bed, the Border Patrol said. The agents apprehended two men – both Mexican citizens – as they tried to flee from the area. The marijuana in the four backpacks weighed a total of 223 lbs., the Border Patrol said. The drugs and the two men were turned over to the DEA.
Later that same day, Border Patrol agents from the Van Horn station found two abandoned backpacks – containing a total of 91 lbs. of marijuana – near the Rio Grande.
On Saturday, Sanderson Border Patrol agents seized eight backpacks with 454 lbs. of marijuana that had been staged for pick up along U.S. Hwy. 90 in eastern Terrell County. No suspects were apprehended in that case. The marijuana was turned over to the DEA from Eagle Pass.
The Border Patrol valued the 2,011 lbs. of marijuana seized during the three-day period at $1.6 million.