Authorities along the U.S. border arrested two U.S. citizens and 12 drug mules hiding in the back of a van with more than a half ton of marijuana Monday in Arizona.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents posted at the Nogales Station seized more than 1,100 pounds of weed Monday after stopping a suspicious vehicle on Highway 82. Authorities quickly apprehended the drivers of the cargo van, who attempted to flee on foot after stopping in an intersection.
Border agents also found 12 drug mules in the back of the van, along with dozens of large marijuana bundles, according to an agent who spoke to The Daily Caller News Foundation. The smugglers did not attempt to flee and admitted their complicity to agents.
The agent noted that drug mules usually head back south across the border to Mexico after helping load up a cargo vehicle for transport.
“There were 12 mules in the back and they all confessed to smuggling,” the agent told The DCNF. “It’s not typical for mules. The fact that they were there is odd.”
The agent said the 12 smugglers are likely illegal immigrants, but are still being processed by authorities.
The two men who ran were subsequently identified as U.S. citizens. The pair are in the custody of the Border Patrol and face federal drug smuggling charges.
Agents estimate the value of the total value of the drug seizure at $600,000.
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