Border Patrol Agents Seize Nearly 900 Pounds Of Marijuana From Smugglers Crossing Rio Grande River

LAREDO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents seized nearly 900 lbs of marijuana on an island in the middle of the Rio Grande River on Dec. 7.

They acted on a report of several individuals crossing the river with bundles of suspected narcotics near west Laredo. Agents with the Laredo Sector Foreign Operations Branch requested help from Secretaria de La Defensa Nacional, who is responsible for managing Mexico's Army and Air Forces.

Responding agents deterred the smuggler's entry into the U.S. But after making landfall on the island, the smugglers abandoned the narcotics, and returned to the Mexican riverbanks. A short while later, they fled from the area before SEDENA could arrive.

Once SEDENA and Border Patrol agents secured the riverbanks, Marine Unit agents landed on the island and seized the narcotics bundles, which had an estimated street value of $704,592.