Border Patrol Makes $3.6 Million Pot Bust

By Toni McAllister
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5:48 pm

U.S. Border Patrol agents working the I-15 checkpoint thwarted a narcotics smuggling attempt Monday that resulted in the seizure of more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $3.6 million, according to a U.S. Border Patrol news release.

Agents made the bust at around 9:30 p.m. during a stop of a white 2003 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by a 43-year-old male U.S. citizen, the news release stated.

“During inspection, agents became suspicious of the man’s nervous demeanor and referred him for a secondary inspection,” the news release stated. “A Border Patrol K-9 team performed a cursory inspection resulting in a positive alert to the trailer.”

Agents searched the trailer and discovered 300 bundles of marijuana, according to the news release.

The suspected smuggler and marijuana were taken into custody and subsequently turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which was working with the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the news release stated.

The Freightliner was seized by Border Patrol.

Border Patrol Makes $3.6 Million Pot Bust - Lake Elsinore-Wildomar, CA Patch