CBP Arrests Canadians with Hash, Hash Oil at Montana Port of Entry

Sweetgrass, Mont. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two Canadian citizens on drug possession charges at Sweetgrass, Mont. on May 17.

At about 10 a.m., two male, Canadian citizens driving separate vehicles arrived in the commercial lanes of the port of Sweetgrass and were referred for secondary inspection. CBP officers found marijuana, hash, hash oil, and drug related paraphernalia during the inspections of the vehicles.

Both men were turned over to Toole County Sheriff’s office for prosecution for possession of dangerous drugs.

“Protecting our borders is what the dedicated men and women of CBP do on a daily basis,” said Daniel Escobedo, Great Falls Area Port Director. “Keeping illegal narcotics out of our country and off the streets is the direct result of the vigilance and dedication displayed by the officers at the Sweetgrass port of entry.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

CBP Port Director Aids Truck-Rollover Accident Victim

Sweetgrass, Mont.— U.S. Customs and Border Protection Port Director, Larry Overcast, was on his way home after work about 5:00 p.m. on November 22 when he spotted on overturned tractor-trailer lying on its side in the north-bound lanes of Interstate 15, about 3 miles south of the port of Sweetgrass.

The driver of the truck was still in the cab and emergency response personnel had not arrived, so Overcast stopped to assist the driver. Overcast was able to speak to the driver through the windshield. The driver said he wasn’t hurt, just shaken up. The truck was lying on the driver’s side, so Overcast helped the driver exit the cab of the truck through the window on the passenger side. Overcast telephoned the Customs Area Security Center at the port of Sweetgrass and asked a CBP officer to call for the assistance of local emergency responders.

Strong winds were blowing in the area, with gusts estimated to be between 60 and 80 m.p.h. at the time of the accident. The tractor-trailer, which was not hauling any cargo, was south-bound on I-15 when it was hit by a gust that pushed the vehicle into the median and then onto its side in the north-bound passing lane.

Overcast departed after the scene was secured with the arrival of the local fire department and a Toole County Sheriff’s deputy.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

CBP Officers Arrest U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive at Sweetgrass Border Crossing

Sweetgrass, Mont. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the arrest of a commercial driver during the early morning hours on July 7 on a U.S. Marshals Service warrant.

Charles Brownfield, 65, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, a United States citizen, was taken into custody by CBP officers upon his entry into the United States after a check of his identification revealed that he was the subject of a U.S. Marshals Service warrant out of Kentucky. The federal charges warrant was entered into the National Crime Center Information database on May 2, 2011. The subject was turned over to Toole County Sherriff’s office for transport to the Toole County jail in Shelby for extradition to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

“This fugitive apprehension was the direct result of the vigilance by CBP officers at the port of entry,” said Sweetgrass Port Director Larry Overcast.

The National Crime Information Center is a centralized automated data base designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants. These warrants are for a wide range of offenses and include money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual abuse of children, violation of protection orders, fraud, failure to appear, larceny and military desertion.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Sweetgrass Agents Locate Stranded Worker

Havre, Montana — U.S. Border Patrol Agents from the Havre Sector assisted the Toole County Sheriff’s Department in locating an oilfield worker who had been missing for three hours.

Agents from the Sweetgrass station responded to a call from the Toole County Sheriff’s Department Monday requesting assistance in locating a missing individual near Oilmont, MT. The worker had notified the Sheriff’s Office earlier in the day that he would be checking an oil well in a remote area, and he would contact them upon completion. When he was overdue to have returned, a search was initiated.

While assisting the Toole County Deputies with their search, an agent was able to locate the worker walking across a field approximately one mile from his vehicle. His vehicle had become stuck in a snow bank and he decided to abandon it and walk for help. The nearest residence is several miles away and the temperature in the area was hovering near -5 degrees, with wind chills in the -30 range. Due to the severe winter weather conditions, the worker was at a high risk for hypothermia and frostbite. Within minutes of locating the man, the Border Patrol agent had transported the worker to an awaiting Sheriff’s Deputy.

“Coordinated efforts like these between the Border Patrol and the Toole County Sheriff’s Department are helping to keep our communities, and residents, safe,” said Chief Patrol Agent Brenna Neinast, “Working together with the Toole County Deputies, we were able to locate this individual and get him to safety before the situation was able to become critical.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.