see also: in September 2007 News Releases:   CBP Seizes $2.5 Million Worth of Marijuana Inside Cargo Load at Texas Entry   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Achieves Container Security Initiative Milestone with 58 Operational Ports   CBP Agriculture Team Intercepts Narcotic Plant at Newark Airport   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Collects More Than $2.2 Million in Underpaid Antidumping Duty on Chinese Shrimp   Kiosks for Frequent International Fliers Now Available At Edmonton Airport   Port of Alexandria, Egypt Participates in the CBP Container Security Initiative   Ports of Colon and Manzanillo, Panama Begin Container Security Initiative Operations ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Laredo, Texas - A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agent from the Hebbronville, Texas station used his keen sense of observation Wednesday to discover 27.7 pounds of marijuana hidden in a utility trailer.

While working at the checkpoint on Highway 16, the agent inspected a small pickup truck that was towing a utility trailer. His experience and interview skills led him to believe that the driver, a U.S. citizen, was behaving suspiciously, prompting the agent to perform a closer inspection of the vehicle.

The vehicle was referred to the secondary inspection area where a U.S. Border Patrol canine alerted on the trailer. The agent also noticed that the trailer had been recently painted and that bolts holding on the side boards had been disturbed.

Agents removed the side boards and found that portions of the wooden frame holding up the side boards had been hollowed out to conceal 24 bundles of marijuana. The marijuana was valued at approximately $22,000.

The vehicle, drugs and subject were turned over to the local sheriff’s office.

U.S. Border Patrol agents use a full spectrum of measures to effectively detect drugs and other contraband concealed by techniques that range from rudimentary to highly sophisticated. The use of hollowed-out boards to hide contraband is just one of many concealment methods that U.S. Border Patrol agents encounter in the course of their duties.

To report suspicious activity such as drug and/or alien smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free telephone number at 1-800-343-1994.

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 the 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.