Calexico - 1400 Pounds of Marijuana Nabbed at Port of Entry
Written by News Team
Tuesday, 20 March 2007

Calexico, California - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducting border security operations at the downtown port of entry arrested two U.S. citizen males who allegedly tried to smuggle almost 1,400 pounds of marijuana into the U.S. on Sunday evening, March 18, officials announced today.

CBP officers encountered the 40-year old driver and 56-year old passenger, both residents of San Diego, at about 7:30 p.m., when they entered the border station in a 1990 Chevrolet Bobtail pulling a trailer. The nervous demeanor of both occupants prompted the officer to examine the vehicle further and to utilize a narcotic detector dog team to screen it. After the dog alerted to the trailer, officers escorted the occupants and vehicle into the secondary area for a more in-depth investigation.

During the secondary inspection, officers discovered a non-factory wall compartment in the front area of the trailer. Officers subsequently extracted a total of 83 wrapped bundles of marijuana from the trailer valued at about $700,000.

The vehicle and narcotics were seized by CBP. Both occupants were arrested for the foiled smuggling attempt.

From the beginning of fiscal year 2007 through January, Officers at the Calexico ports of entry have seized 22,509 pounds of narcotics, an increase of 54 percent over the same period last year. The fiscal year began October 1, 2006.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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