Border agents seized more than 5,000 pounds of illegal narcotics in a 24-hour period along the U.S. - Mexico border in San Diego County, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said.
The largest seizure was at the Otay Mesa cargo facility Thursday night at about 6:15. An Ensenada man, 46, drove in the port in an '04 Kenworth tractor-trailer rig. The cargo's manifest paperwork indicated the vehicle was hauling peppers and green beans.
An officer sent the load to the secondary inspection area, after "developing information," the CBP did not disclose.
A probe of the merchandise turned up the illegal weed, marijuana. In all, 315 large packages of pot were found "commingled" with the produce. The total weight was 3,877 pounds.
At the Tecate port of entry on Thursday afternoon, officers found 769 pounds of pot in a big rig ostensibly loaded with beach pebbles. The 25-year-old Tecate man, in a 1995 Kenworth rig was referred to secondary, where agents found 35 wrapped packages of pot inside with the pebbles.
At the San Ysidro border crossing, a Temecula man, 37, pulled through in a '91 Dodge pickup. . A drug-sniffing dog and an x-ray screening pointed officers to the rear cargo area of the vehicle.
In the truck's bed, officers discovered a non-factory compartment built six inches above the original holding 48 packages of pot weighing 297 pounds.
The loads and vehicles were seized and occupants arrested.
Comments