© 2024 Marfa Public Radio
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Lobby Hours: Monday - Friday 10 AM to Noon & 1 PM to 4 PM
For general inquiries: (432) 729-4578
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Border Patrol Makes Large Pot Bust South of Alpine

trailer-with-concealed-narcotics
Customs and Border Protection said this trailer was discovered to be carrying a large load of marijuana when it drove through a Border Patrol checkpoint south of Alpine. (Customs and Border Protection)

Border Patrol agents made a 1,146 lb. marijuana bust at the Border Patrol's checkpoint south of Alpine on Highway 118 on Monday.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the bust happened around 5 PM Monday. According to CBP, a man identified only as a U.S. citizen drove into the checkpoint pulling a trailer with an ATV and a motorcycle on board.

CBP said a drug-detecting dog alerted to the vehicle, and that after agents pulled the vehicle aside for a secondary inspection, they discovered 1,075 bundles of marijuana hidden in a false compartment in the trailer.

The vehicle, the man and the drugs were handed over to the DEA.

The Border Patrol's Big Bend Sector Spokesperson Bill Brooks said it was an unusually large bust for that particular checkpoint, describing it as “not your day-to-day bust." But, Brooks said busts of that size happen often enough that it’s not exactly rare.

There’s no word yet on where the drugs might have come from. Border Patrol estimates the worth of the drugs at $2 million.

Travis Bubenik is All Things Considered Host and Big Bend Reporter at Marfa Public Radio.