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TUCSON - A multi-agency operation resulted in the arrest of nine suspects, and the seizure of an AK-47 and almost 500 pounds of marijuana near Interstate 8 in Stanfield, Arizona Wednesday night.

At about 10 p.m. Wednesday, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies teamed up and used detection equipment and air assets to intervene and deny smugglers from delivering narcotics to their designated location, according to a news release from Customs and Border Protection.

Nine suspects were arrested, and authorities seized an AK-47 assault rifle and 498 pounds of marijuana near Interstate 8 in Stanfield, the release states.

The operation, dubbed Operation Silverbell and led by the Bureau of Land Management, included Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operation (ERO), the Arizona Department of Public Safety; Tucson Sector's Border Patrol; Customs and Border Protection's Office of Air and Marine; and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. The multi-agency coordination was made possible by the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats.

"The Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats is a great initiative. It brings together all the right players and unites them working towards a common goal," stated Jon Young, State Chief Ranger - Arizona.