Wellton agents seize $287,000 in marijuana

U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector's Wellton Station seized several large bundles of marijuana after tracking a group of suspected drug smugglers for more than six hours Saturday morning.

According to Agent Shaun Kuzia, a spokesman for the Yuma Sector, agents working at the sector’s forward operating base, known as Camp Grip, detected  nine sets of footprints about 30 miles west of the U.S. Port of Entry at Lukeville, Ariz., at around 4:30 a.m.

"Agents working the area located the footprints while doing some signcutting and began tracking them," Kuzia said.

In an area known as Adobe Pass, which is part of a mountain range about 20 to 30 miles of Lukeville, agents found seven backpack-style burlap sacks containing 18 bundles of marijuana.

Kuzia said agents secured the drugs and continued tracking the suspected smugglers. A short time later, agents determined that five suspected smugglers from the group returned to Mexico.
 
The Wellton agents continued tracking the other four suspected drug smugglers through the mountains, where agents assigned to the Ajo Station took over the chase.

"At 10:45 a.m., we contacted Ajo and gave them the information about the group and their agents continued tracking the footprints," Kuzia said.

A total of 18 bundles of marijuana weighing 358.91 pounds and worth an estimated street value of $287,128 were seized in the failed attempt. Kuzia said the marijuana was transported to the Wellton Border Patrol Station to be processed for destruction.

Kuzia said since the Ajo Border Patrol agents work for a different sector, he has not been updated yet as to whether the four remaining suspected drug smugglers were caught.

Camp Grip is Yuma Sector’s tactically deployed forward operating base that is designed to gain operational control of the seam between Yuma and Tucson sectors.

According the Yuma Sector, the success of Camp Grip has demonstrated the Border Patrol’s ability to mobilize its enforcement stance along the Southwest border where needed.

In fiscal year 2009, Yuma Sector Border Patrol has seized more than 50,000 pounds of drugs.

"This area is so vast that it is hard to say for certain whether smugglers have used this route before," Kuzia said. "While it is possible that smugglers have used this route before, our agents will remain vigilant in their efforts to shut down this corridor and deny smugglers the opportunity to get their contraband to the interior of this country.”