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  4. CBP Intercepts 2,788 Pounds of Marijuana and Wood-Boring Pest in Shipment of Pallets

CBP Intercepts 2,788 Pounds of Marijuana and Wood-Boring Pest in Shipment of Pallets

Release Date
Wed, 05/04/2016

LAREDO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists at Laredo’s World Trade Bridge worked tirelessly into the night to find significant interceptions in a shipment of wooden pallets and on one recent night seized a load, more than a ton, of alleged marijuana and a wood-boring pest in the same shipment.

Bundles containing 2,788 pounds of marijuana seized by CBP officers at Laredo Port of Entry in the roof of a tractor

Bundles containing 2,788 pounds of marijuana seized by CBP officers at Laredo Port of Entry in the roof of a tractor

“Our frontline CBP officers and agriculture specialists at World Trade Bridge worked together and seized a sizable load of narcotics and intercepted a wood-boring pest all in one fell swoop,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “These dual interceptions underscore the importance of the border security and agriculture missions that CBP carries out on daily basis.”

On April 20, 2016, CBP officers at World Trade Bridge referred a tractor hauling a shipment of wooden pallets into secondary for inspection.   The pallets were offloaded and after a thorough inspection of the conveyance, CBP officers, using all available tools and resources, discovered 2,788 pounds of alleged marijuana within the roof of the tractor trailer. The marijuana had an estimated street value of $557,675.

the Buprestidae family discovered by CBP agriculture specialists at Laredo Port of Entry within a shipment of pallets

Buprestidae family discovered by CBP agriculture specialists at Laredo Port of Entry within a shipment of pallets

In addition, CBP agriculture specialists conducted a wood packaging material inspection on the wooden pallets.  The result of the inspection was a live quarantine significant pest in the Buprestidae family of wood borers. 

The dual enforcement is an example of the diligent work CBP officers and agriculture specialists do on a daily basis and exemplifies the crucial teamwork CBP uses in preventing narcotics and foreign pests from coming into the US.  The narcotics carry a combined estimated street value of over half a million dollars while wood-boring pests that are not known to occur in the U.S. may be detrimental to the nation’s forestry industry causing millions of dollars in damages and control measures.

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.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021