Anonymous tip leads Mexican soldiers to big drug bust

CIUDAD MIER — An anonymous tip led the Mexican army to a staggering 11-ton stash of marijuana last weekend.

The drugs were seized Sunday morning at Las Blancas dam, according to a statement from the Mexican Defense Ministry. Ciudad Mier is located across the U.S.-Mexico border from southwest Starr County.

Authorities found more than 1,000 bundles of marijuana on a small island near the dam — the combined weight of the stash was 22,512 pounds.

The drugs were transferred to the appropriate authorities, according to the Defense Ministry statement. No arrests were made in connection with the seizure.

Last month, the Mexican army netted more than 4 tons of marijuana in two separate seizures in the Diaz Ordaz area, across the border from Sullivan City.

The first of those seizures occurred Nov. 12 when soldiers found several bundles of marijuana buried inside dirt holes near a lagoon in Diaz Ordaz. The marijuana, which was concealed by a pile of garbage, weighed about 2,500 pounds.

The following afternoon, soldiers traveling along the road Federal Diaz Ordaz-Reynosa spotted three parked vehicles in the Arguelles community, across the Rio Grande from La Joya. The vehicles’ drivers noticed the military convoy and fled the area but ultimately abandoned the three vehicles. Inside the vehicles were weapons and hundreds of marijuana bundles.

Soldiers seized 6,800 pounds of the drug along with two rifles, a shotgun and a handgun. They also confiscated the vehicles — two with Tamaulipas license plates and a red 2008 Chevrolet Cheyenne with Texas license plate number 5NVT53.