AJO, AZ -- A load of marijuana valued at nearly $1.5 million was seized by Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona on Wednesday, authorities said.
The U.S. Border Patrol said agents detected vehicle tracks along the International Boundary fence and with night vision technology were able to spot the suspect vehicle.
Agents found the truck concealed in a wash hidden by a tarp.
Officials said the occupants of the vehicle had fled the scene but left the marijuana hidden inside.
Agents seized 1,869 pounds of marijuana and the truck, transporting them to the Ajo Station to be processed.
Officials said the Border Patrol's effectiveness in impeding the flow of marijuana into the U.S. is causing smugglers to use more creative methods to bring the drugs into the country. As in this case, they say smugglers are using ramps to get around border improvements.
But technology such as night vision binoculars has also increased agents' ability to detect suspicious activity at the border and improve response times to locations, the Border Patrol said.
The drugs seized in this operation is part of a record 1.2 million pounds of marijuana seized so far in Fiscal Year 2009, officials said.
