C.B.P. News Release

New York CBP Officers Discover Hydroponic Marijuana in Gas Tank

(Wednesday, March 18, 2009)

Champlain, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection field operations announced the seizure of 18 pounds of hydroponic marijuana and the arrest of a Canadian citizen in the smuggling attempt.

On March 13, CBP officers encountered Jonathan Flores-Chirinos, a 33-year-old Honduran-born Canadian citizen from Montreal, Quebec, as he applied for admission into the United States at the Champlain port of entry. Flores-Chirinos presented a Canadian passport as proof of citizenship and identity and advised CBP officers that he was en route to visit family in Brooklyn, N.Y., for one week. At the completion of the primary inspection, Flores-Chirinos was referred to CBP secondary for an enforcement exam and verification of his immigration status.

During the course of the secondary inspection of the vehicle, CBP officers discovered that the gas tank sending unit located under the rear seat had been tampered with. CBP officers attempted to inspect the gas tank using a fiber-optic scope, but were unable to do so, as there appeared to be a foreign object blocking the access to the tank. CBP officers then removed the sending unit and discovered what appeared to be vacuum-sealed bags in the gas tank. CBP officers retrieved 33 bags that later field tested positive for marijuana.

A vehicle's gas tank conceals 33 vacuum sealed packages of hydroponic marijuana.

Flores-Chirinos was arrested by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office on charges of possession of marijuana and transported to the Clinton County Jail pending prosecution by the District Attorney’s Office.

“The marijuana seized by CBP officers in this smuggling attempt has a street value of approximately $55,000,â€