SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry allegedly intercepted eight separate attempts to smuggle cocaine into the country from Mexico within two days, according to a news release from the agency Tuesday.
CBP officers thwarted three of the eight attempts on March 4, starting with a 31-year-old man attempting to cross the border with an empty commercial tractor-trailer around 2 p.m.
The man, who was a border crossing card holder, and his vehicle were referred to a secondary inspection where a CBP K-9 unit alerted officers to a compartment in the cabin floor of the trailer, the release stated.
Officers discovered 18 packages containing nearly 50 pounds of cocaine in the compartment.
Less than an hour later, officers encountered a second empty commercial tractor-trailer driven by a 39-year-old man with a valid border crossing card who was referred to a secondary inspection.
A K-9 unit alerted officers to a compartment within the trailer where officers discovered 24 packages of cocaine weighing over 60 pounds.
Then, about 10 minutes later, a third attempt was made by a 52-year-old man who was also a valid border crossing card holder. In this instance, 25 packages of cocaine totaling over 63 pounds were seized.
On Wednesday, March 5, five additional cocaine smuggling attempts were intercepted by CBP.
Around 3 p.m., two separate commercial tractor-trailers, each driven by men who were border crossing card holders, were screened by officers and inspected by a K-9 unit. Officers discovered and seized 12 packages with a combined total weight of about 31 pounds of cocaine in the trailers.
Another attempt occurred 10 minutes later involving a 52-year-old man transporting six packages of more than 15 pounds of cocaine.
Around 3:45 p.m., a 43-year-old man with a B1/B2 visa driving an empty commercial tractor-trailer was also stopped by officers. During a secondary inspection, a K-9 unit alerted officers to seven packages of cocaine weighing more than 16 pounds.
The last attempt during the two days happened at 4:30 p.m. when officers stopped a 38-year-old man who had a B1 visa driving an empty commercial tractor-trailer. In this instance, officers discovered and seized six packages of cocaine weighing close to 16 pounds.
All of the drivers were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and vehicles were seized by CBP officers, according to the release.
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