Read more: Local, Crime, James Edward Williams, Marijuana, Veterans International Bridge, Customs and Border Protection, Customs, Cbp, Brownsville, Cameron County, Rio Grande Valley, Texas
A 22-year-old Arizona man is behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after he allegedly tried to smuggle more than 52 pounds of marijuana into Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested James Edward Williams on Sunday.
The Springdale, Arizona man drove up to the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville in a white Ford Taurus.
Custom officers performing a random, outbound inspection of his car allegedly found five bundles with more than 52 pounds of marijuana worth $52,000 in the trunk of his car.
Investigators told Action 4 News that they believe Williams was trying to drive the marijuana into Mexico.
Williams remains in custody at the Cameron County Jail where he is being held under state possession of marijuana charges.
CBP's Brownsville Port of Entry Director Michael Freeman said cases like theseare not common but do happen from time to time.
“Although southbound seizures of marijuana are not a frequent occurrence, Brownsville CBP officers and Border Patrol agents stopped this load of marijuana from being exported into Mexico," Freeman said in a written statement. "Another good example of the great work being done at the border by CBP."
