April 29, 2008

ICE agents seize more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana from south Texas home
The drug have an estimated street value of $5.6 million

ESCOBARES, Texas - Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) early Tuesday morning discovered more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana at a residence here which is just east of Roma; the local street value for the marijuana seized is estimated at $5.6 million.

ICE executed a warrant and discovered 600 bundles of marijuana inside the residence. Two Mexican men were arrested in connection with this case; they will be formally charged Wednesday. Both men face federal charges of possession with intent to distribute. ICE agents are part of the Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA)

"ICE and our law enforcement partners along the border will not tolerate this brazen disregard for U.S. law," said Jerry Robinette, special agent-in-charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in San Antonio. "Our ICE agents and officers prevented millions of dollars of marijuana from being distributed throughout our communities."

The HIDTA Starr County Task Force includes members from the Starr County District Attorney's Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol, the Rio Grande Police Department, and agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

This is an ongoing investigation.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

  Last Modified: