Rangers made their first drug seizure of the year earlier this month when they recovered more than 400 pounds of marijuana at a popular campground at Lake Amistad. Rangers were called to the San Pedro Campground around 4:20 p.m. on January 8th to investigate a call about suspicious activity in the area. When they arrived at the campground, they saw a shirtless man in the area where the suspicious activity had been reported. When the man saw the rangers, he fled on foot, but the rangers chased and soon caught him. The man told rangers after he was captured that he was an undocumented immigrant and that this was the reason why he ran when he saw them. He was later identified, however, as an 18-year-old from Del Rio, Texas. When rangers began searching the area, they found five black duffel bags filled with bundles containing a substance they believed to be marijuana. The duffel bags, which were discovered in a brushy area near the lakeshore at the campground, contained tightly-wrapped packages weighing a total of 448 pounds. Because the NPS is a member of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, both the marijuana and the man were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. He has been charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Court officials said the case may be presented to the federal grand jury this week. The recovery of the 448 pounds of marijuana is the first drug seizure made inside the park?s boundary this year. During 2005, park rangers recovered a total of 3,990 pounds of marijuana, an increase from the 2,837 pounds of marijuana they recovered in 2004.
