Drugs, warrants and tamales equal busy weekend for border enforcers

By Elizabeth Aguilera
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 5:28 p.m.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 652 pounds of narcotics worth $2.5 million at the ports of entry over the weekend in the San Diego Sector.

Officers also confiscated and destroyed 77 undeclared pork tamales and fined the driver $175 under agriculture regulations, which prohibit plants and certain animal products from entry into the U.S..

The activity over the weekend kept officers busier than normal but did not rank in any area of enforcement, according to Customs and Border Protection.

In fiscal year 2009, San Diego Customs and Border Protection officers seized almost 145 tons of illegal narcotics, including 277,542 pounds of marijuana, 7,906 pounds of cocaine, 619 pounds of heroin, and 3,693 pounds of methamphetamine.

The San Diego Field Office area includes the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico and Andrade ports. It also includes airport and seaport activity in the San Diego region.

In total for the weekend of Feb. 5-6, officers seized 467 pounds of marijuana, 147 pounds of cocaine, 29 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 9 pounds of crystal methamphetamine over the two day period.

The largest amount of drugs, 168.5 pounds of marijuana, was found Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at the San Ysidro port. Officers discovered 62 packages wrapped in cellophane, packaging tape and grease under the hood of a 1992 Chevrolet Silverado. The driver, a 36-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In addition to narcotics, officers also tallied 175 violations of immigration which included counterfeit documents, imposters using legal documents and individuals hiding in vehicles attempting to enter the U.S.. Officers also arrested 13 people on active arrest warrants.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... rder-week/