Wellton Border Patrol agents seize more than 500 pounds of meth in one weekend

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellton station seized more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine in just the past weekend.

Agents say the first incident happened around 3 Saturday afternoon. They say they spotted a group hiding under a tree on the Luke Air Force Base bombing range just east of Wellton. The group tried to escape, but Border Patrol says agents did take a 17-year-old and a 48-year-old man into custody.

Agents say they also found three backpacks under the tree. Border Patrol says all were filled with methamphetamine. In fact, agents say there was 120 pounds of the drug with a street value of around $216,000.

Border Patrol says, less than 24-hours later, an agent patrolling on an all-terrain vehicle encountered a similar group near Sentinel. Agents say the group was also trying to hide under a palo verde tree. It too, Border Patrol says, was smuggling meth. Agents say the three men had backpacks filled with 110 pounds of the drug. That cache has a street value of nearly $200,000.

Then, on Monday morning, agents with Wellton’s Target Enforcement Unit encountered two groups of migrants east of Wellton. Both were comprised of nine people, and agents say both group were carrying drugs. One had 195 pounds of meth, worth around $351,000. The other had 109 pounds, valued at $196,000.

Border Patrol says in all of the smuggling attempts, drug mules were wearing camouflage clothing to blend in with the scenery. Agents say they also had foam and carpet booties over their shoes to hide their footprints.