CBP Officers in Calif. Seize $3 Million Worth of Marijuana in 2 Incidents

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

San Diego – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 1,000 pounds of marijuana in two commercial vehicles/trailers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility in Calif., Friday, August 1, in a three-hour time frame.

CBP officers became suspicious when a 32-year-old Mexican citizen driving a tractor without a trailer arrived at the Otay Mesa port of entry at 3:30 p.m. Friday. An intensive examination by CBP officers revealed anomalies in both saddle tanks. Upon further inspection by a human/narcotics detection dog that had a positive alert, officers removed 10 packages of a green leafy substance that field tested positive for marijuana. The packages weighed 350 pounds and were valued at more than $1 million.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday, a 25-year-old Mexican citizen applied for entry at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility. CBP officers noticed an anomaly within the front wall of the empty tractor trailer. A human/narcotics detection dog screened the vehicle, and CBP officers probed the wall of the trailer and punctured a package. A green leafy substance was extracted and tested positive for marijuana. A total of 42 packages were removed weighing 621 lbs and valued at $1.8 million.

In both cases, the commercial vehicles and the narcotics, with a total combined weight of 971 pounds, were seized and the Mexican citizens were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and transported to San Diego Metropolitan Correctional Center for arraignment.