May 18, 2016
Traffic stop leads deputy to 313 pounds of marijuana, 1 smuggler arrested
FLORENCE, Ariz. – Early Thursday morning, a PCSO deputy stopped a Ford SUV on Interstate 8 for a traffic violation and discovered the vehicle contained 9 bales of marijuana weighing 313 pounds. The driver of the vehicle, Ana Salazar, 20, of Laveen, was arrested and booked into Pinal County Jail for Transporting Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Marijuana for Sale. Court paperwork listed Salazar has two prior arrests for Human Smuggling. After 10 hours in custody, Salazar was released by Court Commissioner Sylvia Lafferty without bond, on her own recognizance.
Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “The drug smuggling arrest of this criminal with two prior human smuggling convictions proves again the cartels control and often coordinate both drug and human smuggling into America. They appear to have free reign while President Obama continues to release violent criminal illegals into our Arizona communities. President Obama released 208 convicted murders and over 900 illegals convicted of rape and child molestation last year alone. It's clear the President is not on the side of law enforcement with this mass prison break."
Sheriff Babeu described the May 12 incident saying, “The Ford SUV was pulled over at about 2:15 a.m. for a traffic violation. When the truck pulled to the side of Interstate 8 near mile marker 164, a male dressed in camouflage clothing ran from the vehicle into the desert. The deputy contacted the 20-year-old female that remained in the driver’s seat of the truck and noticed the bales of marijuana in the back seat and cargo area. She was the only remaining occupant of the vehicle. The deputy arrested her and booked her into the Pinal County jail. The male that ran from the truck was never located.”
