U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa port of entry seized at least seven tons of marijuana hidden in a cargo shipment.
CBP said June 6 that its officers had earlier that day encountered a 45-year-old Mexican citizen driving a tractor-trailer that entered a cargo facility with a manifest that allegedly indicated the driver was transporting metal racks.
A CBP officer conducted an inspection with assistance from a drug-detection canine unit, and the dog alerted officers to the trailer, according to CBP. Officers then conducted an X-ray examination and identified an anomaly, which was further inspected and discovered to be a hidden shipment of approximately 14,965 pounds of marijuana.
“This apprehension highlights the success of the Unified Cargo Program that has been implemented at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility,” said Otay Mesa Cargo Port Director Rosa Hernandez. “The successful working relationship between CBP and Mexican Aduana-SAT has collectively kept these drugs from flooding our streets.”
CBP officers seized the tractor-trailer, cargo shipment and narcotics, according to the agency. Authorities also revoked the driver’s B1/B2 visa and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing.
