Border patrol seizes marijuana from unlikely sources

NOGALES, AZ - Border Patrol agents  foiled two unusual attempts to smuggle marijuana Thursday, authorities said.

Horse were used in one incident and the other involved a hidden compartment in a vehicle, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.

Agents assigned to the Nogales Border Station discovered three horses carrying over 1,000 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $500,000 according to the news release. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the horses were turned over to the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

Later that day, a Border Patrol canine team at a checkpoint near Highway 80 alerted agents to a Ford Expedition, the news release said. Further inspection of the vehicle uncovered 37.5 pounds of marijuana estimated at $18,750 concealed in a non-factory compartment, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the driver was taken into custody and is awaiting prosecution.