Incident forces lockdown at Sopori

Sopori School was locked down Monday morning when illegal immigrants smuggling marijuana barricaded themselves in a nearby house, Pima County Sheriff’s reports said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback were tracking the illegal immigrants, who had been seen hiking with burlap sacks associated with narcotics smuggling, when just before 8 a.m. the group entered a house behind the Amado elementary school.

Agents surrounded the house but were unable to enter without a search warrant, reports said.

Agents were permitted to enter on a welfare-check — to ensure safety of the potential occupants of the house — when around 10 a.m. nine unarmed subjects exited voluntarily, Border Patrol spokesman Jesus Rodriguez said.

Several bricks of marijuana totaling over 200 pounds were found in the home, though no weapons were found.

Sheriff’s officers had contacted Sopori School, 5000 W. Arivaca Rd., around 8:45 a.m. to request that the school enter a lockdown, which requires that no one enter or leave the campus and that all classroom doors be locked, said Principal Desi Raulston.

“There were 10 or more Border Patrol cars in the alley behind us,” said Raulston, who sent letters home with students Monday explaining the reason for the lockdown. “It looked serious, and we certainly took the situation seriously.”

The Border Patrol detained nine male subjects. They were not prosecuted for drug smuggling because they were carrying fewer than 500 pounds of marijuana, the reports said.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726

Details

To contact the U.S. Border Patrol, call 877-USBP-HELP or 514-4700.