Naco border officers find marijuana in truckload of furniture
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.20.2008

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Tuesday discovered 1,650 pounds of marijuana hidden inside wooden entertainment centers at the Naco port of entry.

A semi trailer hauling wooden entertainment centers was pulled over by officers just before noon Tuesday for further inspection after the interview with the driver, examination of the paperwork and quick view of the items arose suspicion, said Brian Levin, Customs and Border Protection spokesman.

Officers found thin bundles of marijuana hidden within the structure of one of the entertainment centers in hollowed out sides, bottoms and dividers, Levin said. As they opened up the other 27 entertainment centers over the next several hours, they found bundles of marijuana in all of them, he said.

In total, they pulled out 1,595 packages of marijuana that weighed nearly 1,650 pounds, Levin said. The marijuana has an estimated value of $948,750 using figures from the National Drug Intelligence Center.
The driver, a Mexican man, was arrested and turned to over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation.