In an apparent shift in tactics, Mexican cartel operatives tried to smuggle more than 700 pounds of cocaine through the waters of the Rio Grande. The failed effort is unique since most hard drugs are routinely moved directly through ports of entry.
Information released by U.S. Border Patrol reveals that agents working near the town of Garciasville, Texas, spotted several men loading large bundles into a utility vehicle. Upon approach, one of the men drove toward the river to avoid capture. The man drove through a locked gate and ran the vehicle into the waters of the Rio Grande, where he and other smugglers managed to take several bundles back into Mexico before authorities arrived.
Border Patrol agents in boats managed to secure the vehicle and pulled it out of the water–finding communication devices, game cameras, and several caltrops. Agents managed to seize 270 bundles of cocaine with an approximate weight of 705 pounds. The estimated value of the drugs is $22.5 million.
“705 lbs. of cocaine, caltrops, evidence of sophisticated counter surveillance and a splashdown in one encounter are an obvious reminder of the need for more personnel, technology, and infrastructure in the Rio Grande Valley,” stated Acting Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz in a prepared statement. “Transnational Criminal Organizations continue to exploit areas along our western corridor that accounts for more than 90% of our traffic.”
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.