October 14, 10

NEWS / Highway 78 Checkpoint Yields Marijuana Seizure

Blythe, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector seized just over 100 pounds of marijuana and arrested one suspected smuggler yesterday.

Tuesday morning, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Blythe Station checkpoint on California State Route 78, referred a vehicle to secondary inspection following the drivers suspicious behavior. While in secondary, the driver, a 53-year-old male Mexican national, consented to a search of his vehicle following an alert by a canine team. During the search of the vehicle, a white 1991 GMC Sonoma Truck, agents discovered a hidden compartment constructed of welded metal inside the spare tire. The hidden compartment contained several plastic-wrapped bundles of marijuana. Agents checked the remaining tires and found similar compartments.

The marijuana, which weighed 101.41 pounds with an estimated street value of $81,128, was turned over to the Imperial County Sherriff’s Office along with the driver and vehicle.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/10132010_7.xml