In cooperation with Mexico’s military and law enforcement agencies, U.S. border agents seized $8 million worth of marijuana at the Texas border in Laredo Friday. Cross-border drug seizures are a fairly common occurrence at the Laredo Port of Entry, but Sunday’s bust is one of the largest this year. In total, 423 bundles of marijuana were confiscated weighing in at over 10,000 pounds, .
Over 5 Tons of Marijuana Seized at the Mexico–U.S. Border
On Friday, a truck trailer attempted to cross the U.S.–Mexico border into the United States through the Laredo Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas.
With help from the Government of Mexico, the Laredo Sector Border Patrol Foreign Operations Branch halted the trailer on its way through the port. A subsequent search discovered over 420 packages of bundled marijuana destined for the U.S. market.
According to a Border Patrol press release, the bundles weighed in at over 5 tons, or 10,083 pounds. Agents estimated to total street value of the seized marijuana to be about $8 million.
The estimate assumes a price of about $800 per pound of marijuana. Or, about $50 an ounce. In the U.S., ounces usually fetch around $300 on the illicit market, and eighth-ounces about $50, depending on the quality.
Friday’s bust, however, is only the latest in a series of seizures occurring with almost weekly consistency. On May 4, Laredo Sector Border Patrol seized close to 300 pounds of cannabis after a short car chase. And on April 20, agents nabbed over 500 pounds of marijuana from two seizures involving drivers who were U.S. citizens.
Such large quantities of marijuana invites the question of how much actually makes it across the Laredo Port of Entry undetected. But with cooperation from law enforcement