EDINBURG, Texas — Border Patrol agents spotted an individual floating a pot-laden ATV atop an inflatable raft across the Rio Grande on Wednesday morning near Garciasville, Texas, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.
Agents said the raft made landfall and the individual sped off in the ATV but ended up abandoning it along with the drugs. The marijuana weighed 463 pounds and valued at more than $370,000.
Later, agents working near Mercedes, Texas, observed smugglers load several bundles of drugs into a Jeep Cherokee. The driver attempted to flee before exiting the vehicle, jumping into the Rio Grande, and swimming back to Mexico. Agents discovered 485 pounds of marijuana worth more than $389,000.
Also Wednesday, agents responded to a drug smuggling in progress near La Rusias, Texas. Agents discovered three bundles of abandoned marijuana in the overgrown brush. The drugs weighed more than 127 pounds, worth more than $102,000, the agency said.