Nearly a dozen people carrying bundles of cannabis fled back into Mexico without their vehicle after it became stuck during an attempt to cross over a vehicle barrier at the international border in Arizona.
United States Border Patrol agents noticed tracks from an off-road vehicle while patrolling a protected section of land four miles north of the border in the Sonoran Desert on Wednesday.
Agents recognized the tracks as signs of a possible incursion into the U.S. and summoned additional personnel on all-terrain vehicles as well as an Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew to assist in a search for the suspected vehicle.
“The helicopter crew spotted a modified Jeep Cherokee, containing 11 people and several suspected bundles of marijuana speeding south toward the international boundary, where limited border security infrastructure is in place,” wrote U.S. Customs and Border Protection Public Affairs in a news release. “After a failed attempt to drive across a makeshift ramp, the Jeep became stuck on the post and rail vehicle barrier, and the occupants fled into Mexico with the suspected marijuana.”
U.S. agents contacted officials in Mexico who deployed military law enforcement to the area, though they were unable to locate any suspects or narcotics.
Mexican authorities seized the Jeep, and U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered the location of the original crossing where they recovered two additional homemade vehicle ramps.
