Mexican smugglers catapult pot over border

TUCSON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Mexican authorities say they seized about 45 pounds of marijuana in an operation in which smugglers used a catapult to fling the illegal weed over the border.

The operation was discovered by a remote video surveillance system operated by National Guard troops at the Naco Border Patrol Station, KVOA-TV, Tucson, reported.

Troops operating the video system observed several people south of the International Boundary Fence launching the marijuana over the fence with a catapult, a report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

Officials notified Mexican authorities, who went to the location and broke up the operation. The camera showed several people fleeing the area before officers arrived.

"The Border Patrol's partnerships with Mexican authorities, the National Guard and the public enhance our efforts to address and disrupt the organized drug trafficking threat at the border and serve to degrade the capabilities of transnational criminal organizations," said a police official involved in the incident. "With their continued support and that of the public, we will continue to more effectively address threats before they cross the International Boundary."

In addition to the marijuana, officials also confiscated the catapult and a sport utility vehicle.