see also: in January 2006 News Releases:   CBP Border Patrol Agents Seize Marijuana and Methamphetamine in Yuma   $1 Million in Cocaine Seized at Nogales Port of Entry   Second Phase Of Enforcement for Wood Packaging Material Import Regulations to Begin Feb. 1   DHS Engages Private Sector on Border Technology   CBP Border Patrol Arrests Five Mara Salvatrucha Gang Members   CBP Border Patrol Agents Rescue 2 Aliens From Tractor Trailer   Maldives to Participate in Customs Asia Pacific Enforcement Reporting System ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers on the web:   NEXUS website

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Yuma, Arizona - Early this morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol Agents intercepted an SUV filled with bundles of marijuana after it illegally drove from Mexico into the United States.

Just after midnight, a Remote Video Surveillance (RVS) camera observed a 1997 Jeep Cherokee illegally drive from Mexico into the U.S. approximately 5 miles east of the San Luis Arizona Port of Entry. A CBP Air helicopter followed the vehicle as it turned westbound on Juan Sanchez Boulevard and began driving at a high rate of speed. The vehicle drove into the San Luis City Limits and the San Luis Police Department was notified.

The vehicle stopped in a housing area and two subjects fled on foot. The CBP Air pilot guided agents on the ground to the location of the vehicle. It was found to contain 638 pounds of marijuana valued at $510,800.00. The San Luis Police Department detained two subjects nearby who matched the description of the two subjects who fled from the vehicle. Both were 20-year-old Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S. The vehicle, the contraband and the two subjects were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Since the beginning of this fiscal year, CBP Border Patrol Agents in the Yuma Sector have interdicted 12,908 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $10.3 million.

Ron Colburn, Chief Patrol Agent of the Yuma Border Patrol Sector stated, “This case exemplifies how a strong partnership between federal and local law enforcement can disrupt organized crime and lead to a safer border community.”

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 our 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.