see also: in May 2008:   Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol Announces State of the Agency   CBP Celebrates Significant Occasions at Advanced Training Center in West Virginia   CBP to Issue New Frequent Traveler Cards   Ecstasy and Methamphetamine Seized at Ambassador Bridge   CBP Races to Secure NASCAR’s Monster Mile   CBP Air and Marine Agents Interdict Migrants in Florida at the Start of Memorial Day Weekend   Border Patrol Agents Rescue 51 Illegal Aliens from Tractor Trailer ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Buffalo, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the arrest of a Canadian citizen who attempted to smuggle 65 pounds of hydroponic marijuana into the United States.

On May 20, 2008, CBP officers encountered Avni Cermjani, a 26-year-old Canadian citizen from Stoney Creek, Ontario, as he applied for admission into the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y. Cermjani was the operator of a commercial truck and presented a manifest and invoice for a commercial shipment of steel bars destined for West Lake, Ohio.

During the course of the inspection, CBP officers utilized gamma-ray technology to produce a high-resolution image of the conveyance’s contents. The scan displayed an anomaly that was inconsistent with the manifested freight. A physical inspection of the shipment by CBP officers resulted in the discovery of three undeclared large plastic bags commingled within the legitimate freight. When opened, the bags were found to contain 124 vacuum-sealed bags of hydroponic marijuana with a total weight of 65 pounds.

"The marijuana seized by CBP has a street value of approximately $200,000," said Chief CBP Officer Kevin Corsaro for the Buffalo field office. "Cermjani was arrested on federal charges of importation and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. The subject was turned over to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York."

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 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.