see also: in July 2007 News Releases:   CBP Air and Marine Acquires Helicopters for Border Security Mission   CBP Officers At El Paso Port Nab 50 Pounds Of Cocaine; Two Juveniles Taken Into Custody   CBP Border Patrol Agent Dies In the Line of Duty   Hong Kong to Scan U.S.-Bound Goods for Radiation as Part of Secure Freight Initiative   Border Patrol Assists in Third Canal Rescue in a Week   CBP Officers Apprehend Fugitive Wanted For Murder, Rape, Burglary   Operation Streamline Nets 1,200-Plus Prosecutions in Arizona ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Otay Mesa, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa, Calif. cargo port of entry seized over 2,000 pounds of marijuana from a tractor-trailer rig that entered the port Monday evening, July 16, officials announced today.

CBP officers found 83 wrapped packages of the narcotic valued at more than $6 million hidden within a hidden front wall compartment in the otherwise empty trailer of the California-plated conveyance, officials said.

CBP Officers ordered the tractor-trailer rig to the port’s gamma-ray facility for an intensive examination at about 5:30 p.m. after an initial inspection revealed irregularities with the trailer. Empty cargo trucks entering the port from Mexico receive an initial gamma ray inspection to detect possible smuggling activity before they proceed to the California Highway Patrol safety inspection facility, officials said.

The intensive examination confirmed a discrepancy in the trailer front wall where officers discovered cellophane-wrapped packages weighing 2,066 pounds. Field tests indicated the green leafy substance inside the packages was marijuana.

The driver, a 33-year old Mexican male, was arrested by special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and subsequently transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center. The tractor-trailer and narcotics were seized by CBP.

“Although our priority mission is to keep terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the U.S., our CBP officers continue to intercept dangerous contraband such as narcotics being smuggled across the border,” said Adele Fasano, CBP field operations director in San Diego. “Such apprehensions should put smugglers on notice that we intend to keep the country safe from dangerous drugs.”

The seizure brings to 21,236 the number of pounds of marijuana seized by CBP officers at the Otay Mesa cargo facility since October 2006 when the current fiscal year began. The amount of marijuana seized at the facility so far this year is up 22 percent over the same period the previous year when 17,447 pounds of marijuana were discovered.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 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.