BORDER SEIZURES OF DRUGS INCREASE

No More Bodies Found After Six In June's First Week

The discovery of bodies of illegal border crossers came to a
temporary halt over the weekend for U.S. Border Patrol agents in the
Tucson Sector but the drug seizures continued.

Between June 1 and June 6, agents found six bodies in the desert west
of Tucson. Since then, they have found none, said Richard DeWitt,
Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokesman. Through May, the number of
known border deaths -- 88 -- were nearly on pace with the 90 known
deaths at the same time last year.

Marijuana seizures are on the rise in the sector for the sixth
consecutive year. Agents seized 647,736 pounds of marijuana from Oct.
1 through May 31, a 40 percent increase from the same time period
last year, figures show.

Agents added to that total with the seizure of 3,308 pounds in two
separate seizures on the Tohono O'odham Reservation over the weekend,
DeWitt said.

On Friday evening, agents tried to make a vehicle stop near Federal
Route 19 around Sells, he said. The driver of a 2005 Chevy Silverado
got away. Agents found 50 bundles of marijuana weighing 1,091 pounds
inside, DeWitt said. The truck was reported stolen fromPeoria. On
Saturday at 3 a.m. north of the village of Pia Oik on the western
edge of the reservation, agents found an abandoned 2003 Dodge Ram
with 110 bundles of marijuana weighing 2,217 pounds, DeWitt said. The
truck was reported stolen in Phoenix on June 1, he said.

No arrests were made in connection with either seizure. The 3,308
pounds has an estimated value of $3.3 million, according to figures
from the National Drug Intelligence Center.

- -- Brady McCombs