Over 1,000 pounds of marijuana was recently seized at the Port of Lukeville in Arizona, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) report. All suspects involved in the seizures are apparently U.S. citizens.
The marijuana was reportedly discovered hidden inside two separate motorhomes.
The first bust occurred after 51-year-old Teddy Dwayne Scamp of Buckeye, Arizona was pulled over at the port, according to CPB. 38-year-old Margaret Jean Lins was a passenger seat of the motorhome. Officers reportedly found about 575 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of more than $280,000, in the vehicle. The drugs were contained in 27 packages which were scattered throughout the vehicle.
Officers subsequently found 697 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle of 56-year-old Herbert Medcalf of Phoenix. CBP reported that the drugs, which were hidden in various parts of the motorhome, had a value of about $350,000.
The recent seizures in Arizona may be somewhat unusual, since the drugs were hidden inside motorhomes; smugglers typically use commercial vehicles to transport drugs, Daniel Tirado, a spokesman for Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector, told Breitbart Texas.
Tirado, however, was careful to point out, “A lot of legitimate commercial traffic goes through checkpoints. Just because they’re commercial doesn’t mean that they’re transporting narcotics.” Regardless of vehicle type, officers rely heavily on canines to detect the odor of drugs.
Large marijuana busts are common along the U.S./Mexican border. Breitbart Texas has already reported on numerous incidents of this kind since early 2014.
In late March, a total 18,000 pounds of marijuana were confiscated on the Texas border in just three days.
The largest bust during that time period yielded 2,600 pounds of marijuana inside one vehicle. At the Falfurrias Checkpoint on March 27, agents found the drugs hidden inside a tractor-trailer. Responding to an initial K-9 alert, officers found the drugs hidden inside wooden crates on the vehicle.
The day prior, agents reportedly saw smugglers putting large bundles of marijuana into a van near the Rio Grande River. Smugglers drove the vehicle to the river when they saw agents approaching. Although the driver jumped out of the truck and attempted to swim back to Mexico, agents caught the man before he could flee the scene. 1,900 pounds of marijuana were subsequently discovered in the van.
Tirado said that an average 13,000 pounds of marijuana are confiscated in the area each week.
Despite this, officers have conducted less drug seizures this year than last. “We’ve actually seen a decrease in marijuana busts this year,” Tirado said. “We’re constantly working with local and state level enforcement agencies–we share information and intelligence. We manage our resources and work with what we have.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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