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  4. CBP Officers Intercept More Than One and a Half Tons of Marijuana Hidden in Commercial Shipment

CBP Officers Intercept More Than One and a Half Tons of Marijuana Hidden in Commercial Shipment

Release Date
Thu, 11/20/2014

OTAY MESA, Calif.  — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo facility Wednesday seized more than one and a half tons of marijuana concealed inside a commercial shipment.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo facility found more than one and a half tons of marijuana hidden in a shipment manifested as

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo facility found more than one and a half tons of marijuana hidden in a shipment manifested as "lockers."

At about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 19, a driver in a tractor-trailer arrived at the Otay Mesa crossing with a shipment manifested as “lockers.”  A CBP officer referred the driver, truck and shipment for further examination.

During an intensive inspection, officers utilized the ports imaging equipment and identified anomalies within the shipment.

A CBP canine team screened the conveyance, and the narcotics detector dog alerted to the trailer.  A subsequent search of the trailer resulted in the discovery of 140 wrapped packages of marijuana hidden within the boxes stored inside.

The total weight of the narcotics was about 3,358 pounds of marijuana and with an estimated street value of approximately $2 million.

CBP officers turned the driver, a 36-year-old male Mexican citizen, over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing.

CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer, and narcotics.

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