Suspects charged with drug smuggling, immigration violations after chase near Ajo, Arizona

Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo Station and Pima County Sheriff Department deputies recently arrested two Mexican nationals and one U.S. citizen after a thwarted marijuana smuggling attempt near Ajo, Arizona.

Agents following up on a suspicious activity report along State Route 85 Sunday morning attempted to pull over a northbound Chevy pickup. The driver fled, and agents observed passengers throwing marijuana bundles from the pickup.

Pima County Sheriff Department deputies patrolling nearby joined in the chase, and the deputies and agents pursued the vehicle to a rural road where the vehicle collided with a fence. Three occupants fled but were soon apprehended. The agents and deputies recovered the marijuana bundles thrown from the vehicle and found two additional bundles in the truck’s cab.

The subjects, vehicle, and marijuana were then transported to the Ajo Border Patrol Station for processing. The marijuana bundles recovered during the incident weighed a combined 196 pounds and had an estimated value of $98,000.

All three men face drug smuggling charges. The two Mexican nationals were also charged with immigration violations. This case was referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.