see also: in November 2007 News Releases:   CBP Officers Seize 50 Pounds of Cocaine, Three Pounds of Heroin, Guns & Ammo, Arrest 22 For Illegal Entry and Arrest 20 Fugitives During Two-Week Holiday Span at Laredo Port of Entry   Border Patrol Agents Arrest Convicted Sex Offender   Border Patrol Seizes One Ton of Marijuana at Sierra Blanca Checkpoint   Border Patrol Yields $3.7 Million in a Day’s Seizures   Border Patrol and Coast Guard Sign Cooperation Agreement   CBP Seized Cocaine Concealed in Suitcase   Border Patrol Agents Seize 5,450 Pounds of Marijuana Near Freer ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

El Paso, Texas – Another significant narcotics smuggling attempt was foiled early this morning in west-central El Paso by Border Patrol agents, marking the second large narcotics seizure of the week in the El Paso sector.

Border Patrol agents seized 526 pounds of marijuana today after agents saw several people loading duffle bags into a mini-van waiting on Paisano Drive, south of Asarco. Agents responded to the area and discovered that the vehicle had become stuck on railroad tracks when the driver attempted to flee the area by running toward Mexico, but was apprehended after a brief foot chase.

The subject is a 17-year-old Mexican citizen illegally in the United States at the time of his capture. A search of the van revealed a total of 11 duffle bags containing 300 bundles of marijuana totaling 526 pounds. The value of the narcotics is estimated at more than $421,000.

A Union Pacific Railroad locomotive engine assisted Border Patrol agents in removing the disabled vehicle from the tracks. The narcotics and juvenile subject were turned over to the El Paso Police Department pending further investigation.

To date in fiscal year 2008, which began October 1, Border Patrol agents in west Texas and New Mexico have seized a total of $8.5 million in illegal drugs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.