LAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Freer Station apprehended a large number of illegal aliens and seized a sizable amount of marijuana southwest of Freer, Texas.

In the early morning hours of January 15, agents observed a tractor-trailer turn off U.S. Highway 59 on to Farm-to-Market Road 2050 several miles southwest of Freer, Texas. When agents attempted to perform a vehicle stop, the driver attempted to abscond by continuing to travel several miles until crashing through a ranch fence.

As agents approached the vehicle, several individuals absconded into the nearby brush. Through a collaborative effort, Border Patrol agents working with a CBP Air and Marine helicopter apprehended 61 individuals. Immigration checks revealed that the individuals were in the country illegally and from the countries of Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Agents also discovered 19 bundles of marijuana in the cab of the semi-truck that weighed approximately 327.02 lbs. with an approximate street value of $261,732.80.

The United States Border Patrol seized the tractor-trailer and turned over the marijuana to the Drug Enforcement Administration.