Associated Press - November 26, 2009 3:44 PM ET

DATELAND, Ariz. (AP) - Eight smugglers who had apparently carried bundles of marijuana across the southern Arizona desert have been tracked and captured by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

The Border Patrol says agents patrolling the desert near Dateland on Wednesday afternoon spotted signs that smugglers recently had passed through the area and tracked their footprints.

They found two people hiding in a culvert under Interstate 8; six others tried to run away but were captured.

Six large bundles of marijuana weighing 177 pounds in all were recovered. The bundles had makeshift straps so they could be carried like backpacks, a common smuggling practice.

The pot and the smuggling suspects were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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