Posted on 11/19/2005 11:25:56 AM PST by dennisw
A marijuana-laden dump truck got stuck in the Rio Grande on Thursday evening in Hudspeth County, leading to a standoff between U.S. law enforcement and what appeared to be the Mexican military, sheriff officials said.
"It's a very serious incident," Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal said.
"We are very fortunate (Thursday) night no one got hurt," Doyal said. "Everyone had the presence of mind not to cause an international incident, or start shooting."
The incident began when Border Patrol agents tried to stop the dump truck on Interstate 10, sheriff's officials said. The truck fled to Mexico in the Neely's Crossing area.
The truck got stuck in the riverbed, and the driver took off running. Agents "started to retrieve the bundles (of marijuana) when the armed subjects appeared," said Agent Ramiro Cordero, a Border Patrol spokesman. The Border Patrol called Hudspeth County sheriff's deputies and Texas state troopers for backup, both agencies confirmed.
Doyal said the truck driver returned with the armed men, including men who arrived in official-looking vehicles with overhead lights and what appeared to be Mexican soldiers in uniform and with military-style rifles.
The Mexican army is used in anti-narcotics operations. Army officials could not be reached for comment.
The standoff ended when the "soldiers" used a bulldozer to pull the dump truck into Mexico, sheriff's officials said.
Doyal said the bulldozer is kept in the area and is suspected of being used to create makeshift paths across the river.
"The 1,850 pounds confiscated (by U.S. authorities) was probably a third of what was in the truck. The rest went into the Mexican side," Doyal said.
Cordero, the Border Patrol spokesman, described the incident as an "armed encounter with drug smugglers" but would not confirm whether the Mexican military was involved. Investigations into the incident continue.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.
Just smuggling the truckloads of marijuana that uppity Americans refuse to smuggle...
The narco-trash in the Mexican army didn't want the pot to be lost - that might cut into their bottom line.
They must be harvesting some of the drugs from the U.S. National Park "fields" & shipping the pot back to Mexico.
The whole border issue steams me.
Driving a dump truck filled with marijuana: just doing a job no American wants to do...
why is weed going into mexico?? I thought it came from mexico??
Sounds good to me! I bet we could raise some serious cash selling raffle tickets to the general public to participate!
Well technically it is but for several decades now they haven't given a tinkers damn
Any one bet the same truck made in fine the following night?
Should have called in an air strike from the military and smoked all of them. Stupid government on the U.S. side of the border.
An armed standoff with Mexican dope smugglers, and the official Mexican Army, who are part and parcel of the smuggling operation.
Liberalitarians and Hippies hardest hit.
Unfortunately, there is so much money to be made in drugs that there are bribes paid to officials on BOTH sides of the border (meaning, the US Border Patrol isn't lily white, either).
But, yes, Mexican soldiers (paid very well by the drug runners) have used humvees to escort drug couriers as much as five miles into the USA; and nobody wants to take on their firepower (or create an international incident).
But one of these days, something will end up happening (meaning: shooting), and then everyone will regret not
doing something about this earlier, before there was violence.
Lord knows there's no other drug on Earth that handles acute or chronic pain.
I was being sarcastic about pot and pain. I hope you are too.
Pot is completely unecessary for pain control.
Oh yes. I have diabetic neuropathy (long story). I know what chronic pain is.
Pot is completely unecessary for pain control.
There are some illicit drugs that are good at pain control, and all have incredibly devastating physical dependence syndromes. I used to work with people who were picking up the pieces of their lives after falling prey to that devastation. It was through those times that I learned that God's mercy can be severe.
Maybe maybe not. Some of their special forces have supposedly gone to the dark side and work for drug lords.
A 50 cal. BMG is a bulldozer missile and a darned good one too.
Either he's dead or he's in Mexico, still looking for Pancho Villa.
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