Smugglers float SUV with 650 pounds of marijuana across Rio Grande

Drug smugglers tried to float an SUV from Mexico into the U.S. across the Rio Grande River in Texas.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agency says it happened Tuesday evening near Brownsville.

Agents say a Chevrolet Trailblazer was being ferried across the river.  As agents responded they say the SUV changed direction and headed back towards the Rio Grande.

The driver then jumped into the river and made it back to Mexico.

Agents found 28 bundles of marijuana in the abandoned truck.  The drugs weighed around 650 pounds and were valued at more than $519,000.

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The day earlier, Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents received information of possible narcotics smuggling at a property near Garceno, Texas.

Agents responded to the area and discovered two abandoned bundles of marijuana in the nearby brush. The marijuana weighed more than 83 pounds with an estimated street value of nearly $72,000.

Smugglers have attempted to float drugs across the Rio Grande in vehicles in the past.

In 2021, smugglers attempted to float a Ford Ranger pickup truck across the river.  Border Patrol agents ended up confiscating 32 bundles of marijuana worth over $500,000.