BORDER AGENT FIRED ON DURING POT SEIZURE

NOGALES, Ariz. - A Nogales Border Patrol agent was shot at yesterday as he
made a vehicle stop that yielded nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana.

Border Patrol spokesman Rob Daniels said the agent, who has not been
identified, was responding to a report of a pickup truck crossing the
border four miles east of town at about 6:30 a.m.

The agent and his partner had spotted a truck matching the description and
attempted to pull the driver over, when the vehicle stopped, and the driver
and another man fled.

One of the agents grabbed the passenger and the other agent chased the
driver who was running toward the border.

Suddenly the pursuing agent came under a barrage of gunfire.

"About 10 shots were fired at his position from across the border," Daniels
said. "The agent took cover, returned fire and then called for backup. His
partner was able to get to him with his vehicle and get him out."

The two agents then drove back to the suspect vehicle and waited for backup.

Law enforcement officials in the United States and Mexico were notified of
the shooting. Grupo Beta agents went to the area but were unable to locate
the shooter or shooters who fired at the agent.

Daniels said a search of the vehicle turned up 990 pounds of marijuana.

The passenger, a U.S. citizen arrested at the scene, and the drug load were
turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration which is
investigating, Daniels said.

Later the same morning, agents assigned to the I-19 checkpoint stopped a
northbound pickup truck and located a hidden compartment containing 296
pounds of marijuana under the bed of the truck.

At about 3 a.m., agents assigned to the Arizona 80 checkpoint north of
Tombstone were following a tip when they spotted a vehicle with its lights
out arriving at the highway from a dirt road that circumvents the checkpoint.

Once the vehicle got onto Arizona 80, the driver turned on the headlights
and headed north with the Border Patrol in pursuit.

When agents pulled the pickup truck over, the driver claimed to be
four-wheeling in the area, but the agent was able to detect the smell of
marijuana and spotted a .45-caliber handgun and a night-vision scope in the
truck.

Daniels said the man, a U.S. citizen from Sierra Vista, as well as 220
pounds of marijuana found in two tool boxes and two ice chests, were turned
over to the DEA.

Daniels said that since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, Border
Patrol agents have seized more than 110,000 pounds of marijuana, nearly
half of the 250,000 pounds of marijuana seized by agents last year.