Border Patrol agents seize 83 pounds of meth near Sumas

SUMAS, Wash. — Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol seized 83 pounds of methamphetamine after encountering two subjects with large backpacks east of the Sumas Port of Entry on Thursday night.

A Border Patrol agent was assaulted in the chest during the encounter – and the two subjects ultimately fled the scene and returned to Canada. The agent was not injured.

Agents found the meth after the subjects fled. "Two abandoned backpacks were discovered containing 83 pounds of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine which is pending testing and would be worth nearly $800,000," according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The Border Patrol agents notified The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, Police Department about the incident.

The Abbotsford Police Department contacted Border Patrol agents a short time later and said they apprehended a man and a juvenile a few blocks away with two large backpacks containing suspected methamphetamine.

“This incident is an example of the threats and risks faced by United States Border Patrol agents as they work to secure the border,” said acting Chief Patrol Agent Chris Bippley.  “The arrests and significant seizure of suspected narcotics also highlights the exceptional relationship between the United States Border Patrol and Canadian law enforcement partners.”

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