OTAY MESA: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Otay Mesa cargo facility found about 1,102 pounds of marijuana hidden in a false wall compartment of a trailer that entered the U.S.
A 51-year-old male Mexican citizen entered the port of entry driving a 1997 Freightliner tractor pulling an empty trailer and was processed through the designated, “empty lane” that contains an imaging system and scans arriving trailers. The CBP officer scanned the trailer and noticed anomalies within the front wall of the trailer.
CBP officers escorted the driver and conveyance for further inspection. A canine team screened the conveyance and the dog alerted to the trailer’s front wall. Another CBP officer drilled into the front wall and pulled out a leafy green substance that field-tested positive for marijuana.
Officers subsequently extracted 45 large wrapped packages of marijuana with a street value of more than $600,000.
CBP officers seized the marijuana and tractor and trailer. The driver was turned over to the custody of ICE agents for further investigation.
