A drug smuggler who was carrying a load of marijuana into the Arizona told Santa Cruz County sheriff’s investigators that he and those he was traveling with her robbed by armed men west of Nogales.

The report of being robbed at gun-point is the fourth incident of its kind reported in the area in less than 2 months.

Jose Ruben Valle-Ruiz told the investigators that he and three other men were smuggling a load of marijuana into the country when they men in camouflage clothing told them to stop and pointed rifles at them.

Valle-Ruiz said he and those he was with dropped their bags and ran. He said he heard five shots fired but that no one in his group was injured.

He said his group hid in the outskirts of Rio Rico with their drugs for several days before being confronted by the robbers.

Upon learning of the incident on Friday, Border Patrol officials alerted the sheriff’s office, who then spoke with Valle-Ruiz before sending him back to Border Patrol.

Since late September, three other groups have reported being robbed by men in camouflage or ski masks and carrying guns.