Feds seize 7,200 pounds of pot in Arizona

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its agents seized more than 7,200 pounds of marijuana Monday in Tucson, Arizona.

“This is the largest narcotics seizure ICE has made in Arizona this year,” said Rick Crocker, ICE deputy special agent in charge of Tucson.

ICE agents staked out a home in Tucson’s foothills for days as part of an ongoing drug smuggling investigation. Then, after witnessing a GMC Yukon towing an 18-foot trailer pull into the driveway Monday, they got a warrant and conducted a raid, said a statement from ICE.

They discovered approximately 5,500 pounds of marijuana in the trailer and another 1,700 pounds in the residence, along with a sophisticated repackaging system in the house, the statement said.

“From the evidence we found, it is clear that the house played a major role in this smuggling organization’s enterprise,” Crocker said.

ICE says the house is owned by a local Tucson businessman and was rented out to a Mexican citizen by a property management company. ICE says its agents gathered a wealth of information about the smuggling organization during the search and are continuing to investigate possible suspects.

[via By the CNN Wire Staff www.cnn.com]