U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Santa Teresa commercial facility seized 352 pounds of marijuana Tuesday afternoon.
CBP officers located the drug load in the frame of a flat-bed trailer making entry from Mexico.
“Although anti-terrorism is our primary mission, we remain vigilant to ensure commercial entries are safe and that cargo and conveyances are free of contraband,” said CBP Santa Teresa Port Director Fernando Thome. “I commend the attentiveness of the CBP officers for finding narcotics in what was manifested as an empty trailer.”
CBP officials say the incident began just after 3 p.m., when a tractor-trailer arrived for inspection through the cargo lanes. The CBP officer at the primary inspection booth noticed irregularities during the initial encounter and referred the vehicle for an intensive inspection.
Officers in the secondary examination area used various tools to confirm the presence of drugs, including an X-ray scan and screening by a drug-sniffing dog.
CBP officers removed 130 marijuana-filled bundles from beams that are a part of the trailer.
The drugs were seized and the case remains under investigation.
