EDINBURG, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents had a busy weekend and start to the week with numerous drug busts, a human smuggling attempt and some arrests at a stash house.
This morning, a K-9 at the Falfurrias checkpoint alerted agents to a tractor trailer where 20 people were hiding inside the refrigerated compartment among produce. On Saturday, agents working at the same checkpoint found five people hiding in the cab of a tractor trailer following, also because of a K-9 alert.
On Sunday, agents from the Rio Grande City station broke up a stash house operation. They arrested seven illegal aliens and two caretakers.
Agents also found more than 550 pounds of marijuana in three separate narcotic smuggling attempts at the border. The street value was estimated to be more than $440,000.00.
In a news release to KENS 5, the U.S. Border Patrol said:
"Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements."
The U.S. Border Patrol's “Operation Big Rig” is a campaign to combat smuggling and save lives. To report any suspicious activity, call (800) 863-9382 or 911.