see also: in May 2002:   U.S. Customs Announces International Counterfeit Case Involving Caterpillar Heavy Equipment   U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize 1,787 Pounds of Marijuana at World Trade Bridge; One Arrested   U.S. Customs Inspectors in Eagle Pass Seize Five Drug Loads in Five Days, Including Three on Monday   U.S. Customs Inspectors Seize $3.6 Million in Cocaine, Methamphetamine at Hidalgo/Pharr Port of Entry Over Weekend   U.S. Customs Task Force Arrests 11 Charged in Heroin-Smuggling Conspiracy in New York and New Jersey   Child Sex Offender Fugitive Wanted by Arizona and Massachusetts Authorities Captured at Brownsville Port of Entry   Mother's Day Delivery at Fabens Port ...more

contacts for this news release

Tecate, California - U.S. Customs Service inspectors working at the Tecate port of entry this weekend seized a tractor trailer truck loaded with over 3,000 pounds of marijuana and arrested the Mexican driver.

The seizure was made at around 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, after the driver of the California-plated 1982 Freightliner truck, which was hauling a 20-foot cargo container, applied for entry into the U.S.

During a secondary examination, a Customs narcotics detector dog alerted to the front wall of the container. Inspectors also noted a visual depth discrepancy at the front wall and probed the wall with a drill. A green, leafy substance found on the drill bit after it was removed tested positive for marijuana.

When the front wall of the container was removed, inspectors found a total of 788 wrapped packages weighing a total of 3,385 pounds and valued at more than $1.4 million.

The driver, identified as 23-year-old Ignacio Antonio Garcia Perez of Tecate, Baja, was arrested for the alleged smuggling attempt by a Customs Service special agent and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center.