Drugs, weapons, ammo seized; four arrested

A surveillance operation by the Cameron County Sheriff's Department led to the Wednesday afternoon seizure of nearly 1,600 pounds of marijuana and several guns, as well as the arrest of four men, officials said.

Jose Alberto Juarez, 18, Jorge Ivan Resendez, 23, Ruben Rodriguez, 19, and Yared Medina Ezquivel, 21, where all charged with possession of marijuana, said Sheriff Omar Lucio.

The arrests took place at 530 Camino Real Rd., in an area south of San Benito and north of Brownsville.

After several days of surveillance, investigators with the sheriff's Narcotics Division obtained permission to search the residence from the female owner, Lucio said.

"We had received a tip about narcotics being stored and dealt out of that address," the sheriff said. "Our investigators began conducting surveillance and observed several vehicles drive in and out at odd times."

During the search, investigators found 1,548 pounds of marijuana, one sawed-off shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun, an AK-47 assault rifle, a .223-caliber rifle, two .40-caliber handguns and one .380-caliber handgun, as well as more than 1,000 rounds of different calibers, the sheriff said. The marijuana has a street value of $1,238,000, he added.
The sheriff's department is investigating the weapons to see if they were obtained in a legal manner and if they were used in any crimes.

"Depending on the investigation, they could face more charges," Lucio said. "It's so sad that these young men were attracted by the lure of easy money and now their lives are ruined."