TECATE, Calif. — A 53-year-old commercial tractor-trailer driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized over $3 million worth of marijuana last week, authorities said.
The drug bust occurred on Oct. 27 around 8:49 a.m. at the Tecate Cargo Facility, CBP said in a news release Wednesday.
CBP officers conducted a secondary inspection of a commercial tractor-trailer that was carrying decorated clay planters. A CBP K-9 unit and non-intrusive scanning technology helped officers find a total of 132 suspicious packages within the pots, officials said.
Authorities tested the packages which came out positive for marijuana. The drugs, which weigh 1,719 pounds, has an estimated street value of $3.4 million, CBP confirmed.
“Our CBP officers are at the forefront of this fight and rise every day to face challenges with
tenacity and integrity,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director. “Marijuana continues to
be illegal under federal law and these types of narcotic interceptions play a critical role in our
border security mission.”
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