EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A drug smuggler led U.S. Border Patrol agents on a chase before driving into the Rio Grande and swimming into Mexico.
Border agents said they observed bundles of marijuana being loaded into an SUV near a ranch in Laredo, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release. Agents attempted to stop the SUV near the ranch entrance, but the driver took off.
A CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter joined the pursuit and
Border agents from a marine unit responded and recovered five bundles of marijuana from the submerged vehicle. The port weighed 372 pounds and valued at $297,200.
Agents recovered the SUV and turned over the marijuana to the DEA.