Someone will not be receiving an illegal Christmas present.
Border Patrol agents Dec. 1 seized a package of 1,000 pills of the synthetic drug Ecstasy that was wrapped as a Christmas gift and left in a berry field north of Lynden, the Border Patrol reported this week.
The package was found near the Canadian-U.S. border, according to a weekly report of Border Patrol activity in the Blaine Sector, which includes Alaska, Oregon and the western half of Washington.
The Ecstasy, also known as the stimulant MDMA and which has effects similar to mescaline and amphetamine, was valued at $23,000, according to the Border Patrol.
Border Patrol apprehensions that were listed in two weeks of activity from
Nov. 21-Dec. 4 included the arrests of four foreign nationals in Forks.
Two Mexican citizens who were in the Forks jail and scheduled to be released were instead arrested
Nov. 21 on immigration violations and processed for removal from the U.S.
In addition, on Nov. 28, two Guatemalan citizens arrested during a traffic stop near Forks who admitted to being in the U.S. illegally were processed for removal.
The Border Patrol’s weekly arrest reports are always limited to one page regardless of arrest activity, do not include arrests that lead to ongoing investigations and do not include the genders of those apprehended.
Below are the other apprehensions listed for Nov. 21-Dec. 4, all of which resulted in those arrested being processed for removal from the U.S.
■ Nov. 21: A Whatcom County sheriff’s deputy sought assistance from the Border Patrol during a traffic stop north of Lynden, resulting in the arrests of three Mexican citizens.
■ Nov. 24: A Border Patrol agent arrested a Mexican citizen after the agent saw someone “on foot quickly leave the roadway and run into the woods” near Blaine. Agents arrested the person after searching the area.
■ Nov. 25: The Blaine Police Department sought assistance from the Border Patrol after a person was observed acting suspiciously near Blaine High School.
The person, a Canadian citizen, admitted to having just crossed illegally into the U.S.
The person was turned over to the Canada Border Services Agency.
■ Nov. 25: A remote video surveillance system north of Lynden captured images of a person from the United Kingdom illegally entering the U.S.
The person “readily admitted” to entering the U.S. illegally, according to the report.
■ Nov. 27: Four citizens of India were arrested after a remote video surveillance system north of Lynden took footage of them illegally entering the U.S.
■ Nov. 28: A person who admitted to being a citizen of Mexico and who was in the U.S. illegally was apprehended on a dirt trail east of Blaine near the
Canadian border.
The person admitted to trying to enter Canada illegally.
■ Dec. 1: Two Cuban citizens were arrested after they were observed crossing into the U.S. illegally and entering a wooded area near Blaine.
■ Dec. 4: Operators of a remote video surveillance system observed a citizen of India entering into the U.S. from Canada north of Lynden.
Agents arrested the person.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
