Truck loaded with drugs found in Vekol Valley

A stolen pickup truck loaded with nearly 2,000 pounds of marijuana was recovered Monday by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, according to a released statement.

 

The PCSO received information around 11:30 a.m. from a confidential informant that a possible “load vehicle” carrying illegal drugs was traveling in the area known as Vekol Valley, south of Interstate 8.

 

Pinal Regional SWAT, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Maricopa County HIDTA were working together in the Vekol area, and responded to the area where the vehicle was reported to have been traveling. The vehicle was located abandoned in a rugged desert area approximately eight miles south of Interstate 8.

 

Maricopa County HIDTA responded to the area where the vehicle was located to assist. There were indications that the vehicle had recently been abandoned (within an hour prior to discovery), and there was evidence that there had been at least three occupants who had been traveling in the vehicle. The occupants had fled into the desert area and were not located despite an area search.

 

The vehicle was a four-door GMC truck, which had been reported stolen out of Glendale. Located in the cab and bed of the truck were approximately 1,849 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana had a street value of more than $1 million dollars.

 

Sheriff Paul Babeu indicated the federal government is not proactive in the fight to stop illegal drugs from crossing the Mexican border.

 

“Last week myself and several officials met with Secretary (of the Homeland Security) Janet Napolitano regarding our southern border,” he said. “Secretary Napolitano told our group we are never going to seal the border, and since the beginning of time, we’ve always had contraband going through it.”