(October 1, 2009)

JIM WELLS COUNTY--A significant pot bust is found in Jim Wells County. After a brief chase, deputies uncovered 1,100 pounds of marijuana in what deputies call a suicide load.

The drug smugglers got away after a short pursuit on Highway 281 around Premont, but they left behind a load of drugs that were going north to be sold on the streets.

Inside this 2007 Chevy Silverado, authorities found 1,100 pounds of marijuana. The drug smugglers bailed out, but the car was loaded with drugs

"We call it a suicide load," said Lt. Eddie Valadez of the Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department. "The truck was load. The bed was loaded. The cab was loaded. The toolbox was loaded."

The drug smugglers tried to hide the drugs by putting the pot in the center console, a toolbox and covering the passenger area with a carpet.

"On the bed, they put three quarter inch plywood and they sprayed bedliner on it, make it look like the bed of the truck and you wouldn't be able to see the bundles," Lt. Valadez said.

There were 91 bundles of drugs packed away. Some were 12 pounds, while others were 22 pounds. On each package, they were numbers and letters.

"Some markings were going to a certain person," said Lt. Valadez. "We don't exactly what the markings represent, but they represent something to the narcotic smugglers."

All that work went to waste as the driver committed a traffic violation near Highway 281. The drug smugglers got away, but the marijuana never made it to its final destination.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com