Tucson Region

3,600 pounds of pot found in water truck

In the largest pot bust of the new fiscal year for the U.S. Border Patrol, agents found 3,600 pounds of marijuana concealed inside an Arrowhead water delivery truck during a traffic stop Wednesday near Nogales, Arizona. About 10 a.m., agents saw the truck illegally drive across the border near Buena Vista Ranch in Kino Springs, about 10 miles east of Nogales, said Andy Adame, an agency spokesman. Agents stopped the truck at Arizona 82 and North River Road, about seven miles northeast of Nogales, and noticed the frame of the truck had been tampered with. A drug-sniffing dog was called in and detected marijuana. Border Patrol agents took the truck to the Nogales station, where a search found a hidden compartment in the center of the cargo area. Inside, agents found 3,635 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of nearly $3 million. The driver, a U.S. citizen who was not identified, was arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and will likely face drug-trafficking charges. In the past, agents have discovered drug or people smugglers using a variety of vehicles disguised as legitimate business and government vehicles, including Qwest, FedEx, a garbage company, a television news station, a school bus, the city of Douglas and even the Border Patrol. The disguised vehicles usually look phony but can be difficult to spot without a close inspection, Adame said. Agents usually stop the phony vehicles because of the driver's behavior or time and place of contact. The Arrowhead water truck was apparently real, but agents are still investigating, Adame said. Since the beginning of the fiscal year Oct. 1, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector have seized more than 21,900 pounds of marijuana, worth more than $17.5 million. Last year's seizures totaled 446,962 pounds, with an estimated value of more than $350 million.