CBP Officers Seize 754 Pounds of Marijuana at Calexico Cargo Port

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Calexico, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico east port of entry detained a 24-year old Mexican truck driver last night and seized over 754 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a shipment of concreteic monumental stone products, CBP officials announced today.

CBP officers encountered the driver and Freightliner tractor-trailer as it entered the port from Mexico at about 7 p.m. The truck was referred to the cargo dock for an inspection after an x-ray examination raised the officers’ suspicions.

Officers unloaded and inspected the shipment of concrete articles, including artistic columns, drinking fountains and plant pots, after a trained CBP human/narcotic detector dog alerted to the trailer. They discovered a total of 69 wrapped bundles of marijuana hidden inside some of the monumental stone objects.

The vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP. The male driver, a 24-year old resident of Mexicali, was arrested by special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transported to the Imperial county jail to face arraignment.

From the beginning of fiscal year 2008 through February, CBP officers at the Calexico ports of entry have seized 41,469 pounds of narcotics, compared to 46,220 pounds seized during the same period last year. The fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2007.