U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo facility on Friday discovered 4,576 pounds of marijuana in a shipment manifested as medical supplies, in a false wall compartment of a tractor trailer.
At about 1 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 26-year-old male citizen of Mexico, driving a 1997 Freightliner pulling a trailer as the man waited in line to enter the U.S. from Mexico. A CBP officer and his canine were screening trucks when the detector dog alerted to the front wall of the trailer. The driver and truck were pulled aside for a more in-depth investigation.
A CBP officer searched by drilling into the wooden front wall and extracted marijuana. CBP officers subsequently extracted a total of 293 cellophane wrapped packages of marijuana, with a street value of $6.9 million. The trailer contained a false front wall concealing a non-factory compartment where the marijuana packages were hidden.
CBP officers seized the truck and marijuana. The driver was arrested and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
