Feds: Record pot seizure of nearly $10 million

By Susan Shroder11:53 p.m.July 26, 2013

The marijuana was found in a tractor-trailer. / U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CALEXICO — Federal officials on Friday announced the seizure of more than 17 tons of marijuana valued at nearly $10 million, described as the largest drug seizure ever at the Calexico ports of entry.

The marijuana was found in a tractor-trailer that had been stopped about 3 p.m. Thursday at the Calexico East cargo facility in Imperial County, said John M. Campos, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

CBP officers ran the truck through the port’s imaging system, which alerted them to anomalies in the cargo, which had been declared as computer monitors, Campos said.

A narcotics-detection dog then alerted to pallets in the 2013 Kenworth truck.
Officers found 2,471 packages of marijuana hidden inside cardboard boxes behind pallets of computer parts, Campos said.

“This record-setting seizure at the port of Calexico has dealt a significant blow to the drug trafficking organizations operating in this region,” Calexico area port director Billy Whitford said in a statement.

Information on the driver was not yet released.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/26/record-pot-seizure-truck-calexico/