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  4. San Diego CBP Officers Discover 3,027 pounds of Marijuana in Two Separate Incidents

San Diego CBP Officers Discover 3,027 pounds of Marijuana in Two Separate Incidents

Release Date
Fri, 01/17/2014

San Diego — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Wednesday found 2,355 lbs. of marijuana in a false wall compartment and about 672 pounds of marijuana in a SENTRI vehicle, with a combined street value of about $1.4 million.

On Jan. 15, at about 9:30 a.m. at the San Ysidro port of entry, a 25-year-old male Mexican citizen and SENTRI member, driving a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck, entered the port for inspection through a designated SENTRI lane.  The inspecting CBP officer referred the driver and truck for a more in-depth investigation.

Officers ran the vehicle through the port’s imaging system, revealing anomalies with the bed of the truck. They searched the truck and found 30 large wrapped packages of marijuana in the bed of the truck, underneath a locked plastic cover. The marijuana has a street value of about $303,000.

The driver was arrested and his SENTRI privileges were revoked.

The second seizure occurred later the same day at about 4:45 p.m. at the Otay Mesa cargo facility, when a 62-year-old male Mexican citizen entered the port driving a 1998 Freightliner tractor pulling a trailer with a shipment of watermelons.  The CBP officer referred the driver and conveyance for an intensive examination. 

CBP officers used the port’s imaging system to search the conveyance and saw anomalies with the front wall of the trailer. Officers extracted 374 large wrapped packages of marijuana hidden in a false wall compartment at the front of the trailer. The marijuana has a street value of about $1.1 million.

The driver was arrested.

In both cases, CBP seized the narcotics and conveyance.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021