OTAY MESA (CBSLA.com) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently discovered 3,370 pounds of marijuana that was hidden in a shipment of Christmas bows.
According to officials, around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a 28-year-old Mexican citizen that was driving a 1998 Kenworth tractor entered the port of entry facility while pulling a trailer with cargo masked as bows.
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(credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The driver was referred for questioning by a border officer on duty, officials said.
During an in-depth examination, officers ran the tractor and trailer through the port’s imaging system, which detected anomalies within the cargo, authorities said.
READ MORE: Jauhar Tajuddin Shuaib Of Irvine Faces Hate Crime Charge After Allegedly Punching Woman, Hurling Racial Comments At HerOfficers reported they then inspected one of the boxes and found a “green-leafy substance” that tested positive for marijuana.
Officials extracted 209 large packages of marijuana from inside of the boxes, which is valued at $1.5 million, a press release stated.
(credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The driver was booked at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
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