DALLAS_Border agents found nearly 1,200 pounds of marijuana being smuggled through Brownsville last week after a driver lost control and crashed.
Agents from the Fort Brown border patrol station first noticed the vehicle Feb. 22 because it was speeding. They gave chase and found the driver had flipped the vehicle, according to a written release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The vehicle contained 52 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 1,200 pounds, according to the release. The estimated value of the drugs is $969,000. The drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"Juveniles in our community are being exploited," Patrol Agent in Charge Letisia Camarillo said in the release. "They are making decisions that put themselves at risk and they don't understand the consequences. Juveniles are viewed as cheap and disposable labor, a means for cartels to push their illicit product."
The driver and the passenger are U.S. citizens, and the passenger is a juvenile, a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated.
"(Cartels) constantly recruit to replace kids that are arrested and prosecuted," Camarillo said. "It's a horrific cycle and we need to come together to educate our children about the consequences."
The driver and passenger will face charges of narcotic smuggling from the Cameron County district attorney's office.
