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Border Patrol Had Busy Holiday Weekend

Yuma, Ariz. — Area law enforcement agencies worked together to make sure Memorial Day 2011 was a safe weekend.

A collaborative effort between the Yuma Police Department, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety helped keep Yuma roadways safe, while Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents seized a combined total of 28 pounds of cocaine and 407 pounds of marijuana in four separate smuggling attempts.

On Friday, deputies and officers conducted an intensive patrol detail in the area of Martinez Lake and reported there were no significant incidents. On Saturday, a DUI checkpoint was set up at 22nd Avenue and 24th Street from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Officers and deputies contacted over 550 vehicles, resulting in four DUI arrests and one passenger arrested for drug possession.

Also on Saturday, Border Patrol agents assigned to Yuma Station were patrolling in the Imperial Sand Dunes, west of Andrade, Calif., when they observed a blue bag being thrown over the International Boundary Fence.

Agents recovered the bag and discovered it contained 11 packages of cocaine, which weighed 28 pounds and had an estimated street value of $254,800. The cocaine was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sunday, agents assigned to Wellton Station were patrolling near the Aztec Mountains east of Wellton when they discovered two backpacks of marijuana abandoned under a pile of rocks in an area frequently used by smugglers.

Later that morning, agents patrolling in the same area located three more abandoned bundles weighing 136 pounds. The narcotics, with a combined estimated value of $113,450, were seized and transported to Wellton Station.

Also on Sunday, Wellton Station agents stopped a vehicle near Dateland that was reported stolen out of Phoenix. The driver attempted to flee, but was quickly apprehended by agents who discovered he was carrying drug paraphernalia.

During questioning, the driver admitted he was on his way to pick up illegal aliens on Interstate 8 near milemarker 71. Agents searched the area and located five individuals who admitted to being illegally present in the United States.

The subjects were carrying backpacks containing approximately 181 pounds of marijuana. All subjects and the marijuana, which had an estimated value of $90,400, were taken into custody and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The vehicle was seized by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.

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