November 26, 2008
Right Side News
Otay Mesa, Calif. - Two Mexican male drivers were arrested early yesterday morning at the Otay Mesa, Calif. passenger port of entry after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a total of more than 7,000 pounds of marijuana worth $3.3 million hidden in their vehicles, officials announced today.
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The two waiting vehicles, both white cargo vans with California plates, were referred along with other vehicles to the secondary inspection lot at about 6 a.m. where a narcotics detector dog alerted to the presence of a narcotic odor on both trucks.
CBP officers discovered 237 packages of marijuana weighing almost 4,427 pounds in a 1999 GMC Express van. The driver, a 34-year-old Mexican male, was arrested and the vehicle and narcotics were seized.
Officers also found 178 wrapped packages of marijuana weighing over 2,911 pounds in a 1993 Ford Econoline van. The 40-year-old Mexican male driver was arrested and the vehicle was seized as evidence.
The two drivers were transported to the metropolitan correctional center to await arraignment. The incident is being investigated by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection 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.
