October 15, 2009
Border Patrol agents seize pot-packed SUV

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than $500,000 in marijuana stuffed into a sport utility vehicle on Interstate 5 near San Clemente, authorities said today.

An agent patrolling the area Wednesday afternoon spotted the 2002 Toyota Sequoia with what appeared to be excessive weight in its cargo area, Border Patrol officials said in a statement, noting there was so much weight it was "affecting the vehicle's driving performance."

When the agent pulled the driver over near the Oso Parkway exit, he saw bundles of marijuana inside. In all, 30 bundles of the drug, weighing nearly a ton, were removed. Its street value was estimated at $503,712.

Authorities arrested a 25-year-old Mexican national, whose name was not immediately released.

--Andrew Blankstein

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com