Sullivan City police pick up $2 million worth of pot

SULLIVAN CITY - Police discovered more than 1.5 tons of marijuana through a series of traffic stops in less than four hours Monday.

The police force - serving a community of less than 5,000 residents - seized more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana and six vehicles, but no arrests were made in connection with the crimes, said Eloy Treviño, a Sullivan City police investigator. The marijuana has an estimated street value of more than $2.4 million, he said.

It all began at 7:10 p.m. Monday.

Officers tried to stop a green 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis along Farm-to-Market Road 886, but the driver sped off, Treviño said.

Police took off on a two-mile chase that ended near the intersection of El Pinto Road and Huisache Street.

The driver ditched the car and police were unable to find him in the area, but they managed to recover 36 bundles of pot weighing a combined total of 780 pounds.

Then at about 10:07 p.m., officers observed a 2002 Dodge pickup truck driver who failed to yield the right-of-way while pulling into the street from a house near the corner of Alamo and Villalon streets, police said.

The driver would not pull over for officers and led police to Military Road near the Rio Grande, where he fled from the vehicle, swam halfway across the river and was picked up on a raft and taken into Mexico, Treviño said.

Officers returned to the house, where they found more than 1,530 pounds of marijuana inside. They also discovered another pickup truck on the property.

As police searched the neighborhood about 10:47 p.m., they discovered a suspicious 1993 Ford Crown Victoria parked in front of a nearby house. Inside, they saw more marijuana and recovered another 33 bundles totaling more than 764 pounds. They also recovered a van believed to be connected with that marijuana bust.

About the same time, police received a call about a suspicious pickup truck along Military Road. Officers called U.S. Border Patrol for assistance, and agents soon discovered a 1993 Chevrolet pickup truck with another 42 pounds of marijuana inside, Treviño said.

Sullivan City police turned their investigations over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further follow-up.