Border patrol agents dismantled a giant catapult used to sling-shot large quantities of marijuana from Mexico over the United States border in Arizona.
The drug smugglers rigged the homemade catapult onto a border fence near the Douglas Port of Entry near Tucson, where authorities discovered the makeshift device Feb. 10. Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection approached a group of people near the catapult who quickly scattered, fleeing the area. After a search, agents uncovered two packages of marijuana weighing a total of 47 pounds, reports CNN.
After uncovering the smuggling device, border agents notified Mexican authorities who helped seize and dismantle the catapult, which was constructed out of square tubing, a spring welded together and various ropes tying it all up.
Officials in the region say drug smugglers are getting more creative with the methods they employ for getting shipments across the border. During a January bust in Pharr, Texas, agents seized 3,947 pounds of marijuana hidden in 34,000 fake Key limes. Agents estimated the value of the seizure at $789,467, reports FOX 8.
Last year, border agents disrupted an operation using fake carrots to traffic 2,493 pounds of marijuana worth roughly $500,000.
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