SANTA TERESA: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 224 pounds of marijuana June 8. The drugs were concealed within wooden tables in a shipment of rustic furniture.
“Smugglers are only limited by their imagination and will go to extreme lengths in an effort to conceal their illicit goods,” said Ray Provencio, CBP Santa Teresa Port Director. “CBP officers used a variety of tools to locate this drug load.”
The seizure was made just after 4 p.m. Wednesday when a 2001 Ford Econoline van towing a flatbed trailer loaded with rustic wood furniture entered the port from Mexico. The shipment was selected for an x-ray exam during which a CBP officer spotted anomalies in the appearance of the cargo.
CBP drug sniffing dog “Pele” searched the shipment and alerted to the goods. CBP officers drilled into the top of a table and recovered a green substance which tested positive for marijuana. CBP officers removed a total of 135 marijuana-filled bundles from compartments constructed into the tops of two tables. No arrests were made and the investigation continues.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.
