Giant Bundle Of Weed Thrown Over The US-Mexico Border Fence

In Pheonix, Arizona, U.S. Border Patrol recovered a giant bundle of weed thrown over the US-Mexico border fence. The nearly 100 lb package of weed was seen flying over the border fence last Wednesday.

Flying Weed

The plastic wrapped bundle was spotted by agents on Surveillance video last Wednesday being launched over the border fence. The large bundle is said to be worth around $48,000. It was unclear what the smugglers used to launch the package over the fence, but Border Security said air-cannons and homemade catapults have been used in past instances.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Dixon claims that this practice has been commonplace, and there have been a number of incidents cropping up recently. She did not mention any number specifically but mentioned it’s becoming increasingly dangerous for local residents. A package of such size and weight could do some serious damage if it landed on someone.

“Not only is it illegal activity but it’s extremely dangerous to the public,” Dixon said.

She also specifically mentioned one instance where a similar sized package went through the roof of a doghouse.

Trump’s Wall

Ironically, the event occurred just one day after President Donald Trump and echoed his previous sentiments of building a wall to stop drug trafficking from Mexico. Although the border already has a fence as high as 23 feet in some areas, smugglers can still manage to get drugs over the border with the aforementioned launching techniques.

A package of such high weight requires a powerful launcher to catapult the package the necessary length. Last year, Mexican police found a stolen van with a 10-foot air cannon used to shoot large projectiles over the fence. Trebuchets have also been commonplace, but an air pressure system is necessary to launch heavier packages such as this one.

Most commonly, Border Patrol says, are softball-sized packages tossed over the fence. Smugglers will then pay someone in the U.S. to collect the packages.

In Wednesday’s case, there was no reported damage. No arrests have been made, but officials are still looking into the incident.

Final Hit: Giant Bundle Of Weed Thrown Over The US-Mexico Border Fence

Although smugglers continue to find different ways to get weed into the U.S., seizures have gone down significantly over the past few years. Last year, agents seized around 1.3 million pounds in illegal weed over the Southwest border. For comparison’s sake, agents seized over $2.5 million pounds in 2011.

As states continue to legalize cannabis both medicinally and recreationally, it appears the need for black market weed will dwindle. While it won’t completely eradicate the problem, it does appear to help. If weed does ever become legal on a federal level, and prices become lower due to increased competition, it’s not crazy to think border smuggling will become even less of a problem going forward.