Del Rio, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents throughout Del Rio Sector seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of $831,480.

On July 13, agents from the Eagle Pass Station working in the Quemado area seized 443 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $354,720. The contraband was turned over to the FBI for processing.

Later that day, Eagle Pass agents conducting linewatch operations near the Rio Grande River, encountered four military style duffel bags concealed in the brush. The duffel bags contained 224 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $179,360.

Thursday July 18, in two separate incidents, Eagle Pass South agents seized a total of 371 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $297,400.

In the first incident, agents observed several subjects load what appeared to be illegal narcotics into a black Ford Focus. Agents attempted to conduct an immigration stop but the vehicle failed to yield.  After a short pursuit, the vehicle stopped and agents arrested the driver. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed four large bundles in the back of the vehicle. The bundles contained 168 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $134,464. The driver, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Department of Public Safety for processing. 

In the second incident, agents observed four subjects cross the Rio Grande River with large military-style duffel bags on their backs. When agents approached, the subjects dropped the duffle bags and attempted to abscond. After a short foot chase one of the subjects was arrested and the rest absconded to Mexico. The duffel bags contained 203 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $162,936.

All cases were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration unless otherwise stated.

The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector is part of the South Texas Campaign, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. For Fiscal Year 2013, the Del Rio Sector has seized over 29,600 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $23.6 million dollars.  

A.D. Ibarra -San Antonio, TX

Preliminary reports from the Alamo City have cited the resignation of former EPISD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Becky Robinson from her position as Superintendent of the South San ISD effective immediately Thursday morning. The educator whose reputation of objectivity and effectiveness as an instructional leader capable of analyzing a school's needs and a district's points of academic objectives that require focus, apparently ran into opposition when attempting to hire key staff to address SSISD's needs in the coming school year. Five other top-level administrators are following suit and have left the district to fend for itself in terms of improving state test scores and achieving required accountability measures by the state. According to an article in the San Antonio Express-News, Ramiro Nava, South San's Executive Director of Curriculum, will be the interim superintendent. Robinson left the EPISD to take the superintendent's job at South San which in her letter of resignation she stated "Have been personally rewarding."

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

One never knows where help is going to come from when we are most in need. 

When The Eagle Pass News Gram learned of a very generous donation of $18,000.00 of food which was graciously donated by Amy's Kitchen Inc. based out of Petaluma, California, we immediately reached out to Becky Ballou who let us know where the donation had come from.

We caught up with Norma Mery, Director of Manufacturing Services, who works to develop sourcing opportunities from the Southern Hemisphere and is also responsible for co-packing, plant automation projects, and process improvements for the company.  Norma Mery is working in developing growers from Mexico, Ecuador, and Spain who provide ingredients for Amy's products to keep up with the company's growth.  These ingredients include tomatoes, onions, broccoli, asparagus, and beans to name a few, that are used to make the many fabulous organic products provided by this highly successful corporation which had incredibly humble beginnings and has now turned into a multi-million dollar industry in just 25 years.

Amy's kitchen began as a labor of love when Rachel and Andy Berliner, Rachel in particular, was looking for organic food to eat and stay healthy when she was pregnant with Amy, their first and only child and the name sake for the company, and she was not able to find food that appealed to her.

They began cooking organic pot pies out of their own kitchen before the business moved to a barn in Petaluma which became their first processing plant.   When the demand for their pot pies became too big for their kitchen they started their first plant in Santa Rosa CA and the rest as they say, is history.  The company has been featured in major US publications such as Parents, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Better Homes and Gardens and even made #11 on the list of the top 125 packaged foods for women with their amazing Amy's Organic Pound Cake last year.  They have also been filmed many times by the Food Channel for programs like "How It's Made".

Now with processing plants in Santa Rosa, California and White City, Oregon, business is better than ever and they are selling an incredible $380,000,000.00 a year.  According to Norma, they export to Europe, Australia, India, and Mexico with whom they have a relationship with Comercial Mexicana.  Amy's Kitchen has local distribution through Walmart and HEB.  They employ 1,200 workers at each of their processing plants.

"Our products are very healthy and we work with organic growers to get everything we use for our products," added the director of manufacturing services, "When Andy and Rachel heard of the tragedy in Eagle Pass they immediately asked what they could do to help, that's the kind of humanitarian approach they always have".

Amy's Kitchen was in Eagle Pass on Friday distributing 22,000 cans of soup and Norma Mery, a proud Eagle Passan herself, descendant of the Buentello family, will be on hand to assist in the distribution at the Maverick County Food Pantry.