Smugglers ferried an SUV loaded with almost 650 pounds of marijuana across the river separating Texas from Mexico in a failed smuggling attempt, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
A Chevy Trailblazer crossed the Rio Grande on a makeshift barge near Brownsville, Texas, on March 22, CPB Agent Jesse Moreno told The Post.
Using a trailer and empty 55-gallon drums that act as floatation devices, the SUV was pulled across the river with ropes into the US.
A driver was sitting in the SUV, carrying 648 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $519,000.
“Once it makes landfall, the vehicle will be able to drive off and then make their way north,” said Moreno.
The ferry method is an alternative to getting drugs across the river in a raft, the Border Patrol said.
“With the raft, they have 14-16 individuals who will unload (the drugs) into a vehicle that’s already on the US riverbank, but that required that a vehicle drop down near the river. What they’re trying to do is lessen their imprint,” said Moreno.
Smugglers used a trailer and empty 55-gallon drums to float the SUV across the Rio Grande. US Border Patrol
Despite the smugglers’ attempt to avoid being seen, the Chevy Trailblazer was spotted by border agents who intercepted it not long after it landed, said Moreno. The driver jumped back into the river and swam back across to Mexico. The SUV and drugs were seized by the Border Patrol.
The ferry method is not common, but the Border Patrol says they have seen smugglers employ this tactic from time to time.
