Two male U.S. citizens were apprehended Saturday in separate incidents for attempting to smuggle a total of 269 pounds of marijuana into the United States through the Port of Douglas.
Customs and Border Protection officers from the Office of Field Operations referred a 2001 BMW for an inspection after the 35-year-old driver displayed suspicious behavior. After officers instructed the man to open the rear cargo door of his vehicle for inspection, they discovered 172 packages of marijuana concealed under the rear cargo floor. Officers subsequently removed 240 pounds of marijuana, worth almost $120,000, concealed throughout the vehicle, including the engine compartment.
In another smuggling attempt, officers referred a 21-year-old male U.S. citizen for an inspection of his 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. Inside the vehicle, officers found 18 packages of marijuana under the third-row seat, beneath firewood. Officers removed nearly 30 pounds of marijuana worth almost $15,000.
In both cases, officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned the men over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Individuals arrested may be charged by complaint, the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity, which raises no inference of guilt.