TECATE, Calif., – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Tecate Cargo Facility discovered over $3 million worth of marijuana hidden in a shipment of decorative clay pots.

On October 27, at approximately 8:49 a.m., CBP officers encountered a 53-year-old male driving  a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment manifested as decorated clay planters. The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was referred for further examination by CBP officers along with the tractor-trailer and shipment.

In the secondary inspection area, a CBP K-9 unit screened the shipment and alerted officers to examine the trailer more closely. Officers then used non-intrusive scanning technology to discover dozens of anomalies concealed within the shipment.

Upon further examination, CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 132 suspicious packages. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as marijuana with a combined weight of 1,719.16 pounds.

“Our CBP officers are at the forefront of this fight and rise every day to face challenges with tenacity and integrity,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director. “Marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law and these types of narcotic interceptions play a critical role in our border security mission.”

CBP officers seized the narcotics and commercial tractor-trailer while the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing. The estimated street value of the narcotics is $3,400,000.
 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.