Synchronized Smugglers?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the three ports of entry in San Diego County seized over 5000 pounds of marijuana valued at 3.2 million dollars on Thursday afternoon, January 28. According to a report issued by the agency, the largest seizure occurred at about 6:15 p.m. at the Otay Mesa cargo facility: over 300 packages of marijuana, all of which weighed in at 3877 pounds.

A 46-year-old Ensenada man entered the port driving a tractor-trailer with cargo manifested as peppers and green beans. The officer inspecting the cargo referred the driver to a secondary inspection area, where the pot was found.

Earlier in the day, a truck loaded with 769 pounds of marijuana was busted at the Tecate port of entry. At about 4:30 p.m., a 25-year-old Mexican driver entered the port and was sent to secondary. A detector dog alerted officers to pallets containing beach pebbles. Officers found 35 packages of marijuana among the beach pebbles.

At about 2:30 Thursday afternoon, at the San Ysidro border station, a 37-year-old man with American citizenship was caught trying to smuggle pot into the U.S. The man, from Temecula, was driving a Dodge pickup truck outfitted with a false compartment. A dog alerted the officers to the rear cargo area of the vehicle. After an x-ray screening of the truck bed, officers discovered the compartment, which contained 48 packages of marijuana that weighed 297 pounds.