A Mexican man was arrested Tuesday at the Nogales Commercial Facility for attempting to smuggle more than a ton of marijuana into the United States in a load of bell peppers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred the 35-year-old driver of a tractor-trailer he was driving for an additional inspection. After an anomaly was discovered using a commercial x-ray system, a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs co-mingled within a shipment of bell peppers. A further search led to the discovery of 280 packages of marijuana worth slightly more than $1,068,000. The drugs and tractor-trailer were processed for seizure. The subject was turned over to ICE.
“CBP officers in Nogales made use of several layers of enforcement to identify and locate the marijuana,” said Nogales Port Director Guadalupe Ramirez. “Our people used their experience and dedication to prevent these drugs from entering our nation.”