Feds Seize 7 Tons of Cartel Marijuana at California Border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working a cargo facility on the Mexican border in southern California seized over seven tons of marijuana. The seizure came in spite of the legalization of the drug in that western state.

A Mexican citizen driving a 1994 Freightliner and pulling a trailer attempted to cross the Otay International Border Crossing port of entry on Thursday morning. The driver reported he was transporting a load of furniture.

Officers referred the 47-year-old Mexican national, who was not named by CBP officials, to a secondary inspection station. A scan of the trailer revealed anomalies with the shipment, information provided to Breitbart Texas stated.

An interior inspection of the trailer revealed stacked boxes and not the furniture the driver claimed to be hauling. Officers opened the boxes and discovered shrink-wrapped packages of what they would later test to be marijuana.

In total, the CBP officers found 587 bundles of marijuana inside the trailer. The load weighed in at 14,219 pounds and has an estimated street value of $7.1 million.

“My officers are out there rain or shine to disrupt illicit activity,” Otay Mesa cargo Port Director Rosa Hernandez said in the written statement. “This seizure demonstrates that and their commitment to keeping our community safe from dangerous contraband.”

The man was turned over to Homeland Security investigations for further investigation. The marijuana and the tractor-trailer were seized.

One week earlier, Breitbart Texas reported that CBP officers in Arizona also seized a multi-million marijuana load. A K-9 officer alerted officials to the presence of the marijuana in a truck load of watermelons being transported through the Mariposa Commercial Facility in Nogales, Arizona. Instead of watermelons, officers discovered 14,800 pounds of marijuana. The unidentified 51-year-old Mexican national from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was arrested and turned over to investigators.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.