U.S. Border Patrol agents in far West Texas busted a previously deported sex offender Tuesday evening after he illegally re-entered the United States near the University of Texas El Paso campus. Other agents working a Border Patrol checkpoint in Interstate 25 near Los Cruces, New Mexico arrested a Mexican national who was reportedly carrying seventy-five pounds of marijuana.

Agents working along the Rio Grande River border with Mexico were alerted by sensors and cameras in an area known for a large numbers of illegal crossings. They began tracking the three men who had crossed the border illegally. Agents found the men attempting to hide in the thick brush along the river and arrested them, according to information obtained from Breitbart Texas.

While processing the illegal aliens, agents learned that one of the men, Joe Alberto Gallegos Rodriguez, a Mexican national, had previously been convicted of first degree sexual assault in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The 39-year-old Gallegos served about one year out of a five-year sentence and was subsequently deported.

In Arkansas, 1st Degree Sexual Assault is defined as a person who engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity, according to state statutes. The defendant must also meet one of the following criteria for this charge to apply:

(1) Is employed with the Department of Correction, Department of Community Punishment, Department of Human Services, any city or county jail or juvenile detention facility, and the victim is in the custody of the Department of Correction, Department of Community Punishment, Department of Human Services, any city or county jail, or juvenile detention facility, or their contractors or agents; or (2) Is a professional under Arkansas Code 12-12-507(b) and is in a position of trust or authority over the victim and uses the position to engage in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity; or (3) Is an employee in the victim’s school or school district, a temporary caretaker, or a person in a position of trust or authority over the victim. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this subdivision that the actor was not more than three (3) years older than the victim.

He was processed into the El Paso County Detention Facility pending immigration proceedings, according to the statement. No mention was made of the fate or identity of the other two illegal aliens captured with Gallegos.

Also on Tuesday, Border Patrol agents near Las Cruces, New Mexico, observed a 2003 Volkswagen bug approaching the checkpoint on Interstate 25 with smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle stalled out and the driver pushed the vehicle to the inspection station where a K-9 agent alerted to the scent of illegal contraband. Agents used x-ray equipment during a secondary inspection to check the vehicle and then uncovered a hidden floor compartment. The compartment contained approximately 75 pounds of marijuana. Officials estimated the street value of the contraband to be about $60,160.

Ruben Chacon Rodriguez, a 19-year-old Mexican citizen, was taken into custody. His vehicle and the drugs were also seized. He was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for possible prosecution. No mention was made of Chacon’s immigration status.

Bob Price serves as senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.