On Thursday, May 30, 2002, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Agents working with other Border Law Enforcement Agents intercepted and confiscated 935 pounds of marijuana. During the operation, two suspects were taken into custody in addition to two vehicles. The vehicles were 4-wheel drive vehicles equipped for the transport of drugs across the refuge. The case is still under investigation.
In recent months, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge has seen increased trafficking of drugs, as well as migrants across remote wilderness areas. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working with other border law enforcement agencies to reduce the amount of trafficking through sensitive Sonoran pronghorn habitat and remote wilderness areas. One of the premiere desert wilderness refuges in the country, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge offers more than 860,000 acres for protection of fragile desert ecosystems, wilderness, and wildlife, including three endangered species. Illegal trafficking has a negative effect on recreational and biological activities on the refuge.
Any person with information about illegal trafficking across refuge lands is encouraged to contact the Refuge headquarters at 520-387-6483.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
http://southwest.fw.gov
