Citizen Staff Report
Citizen Staff Report
news@tucsoncitizen.com
Border Patrol agents at the Nogales station on Thursday seized nearly two tons of marijuana, worth more than $2.5 million, according to an agency release.
The release said agents inspecting traffic at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19 found 3,155 pounds of marijuana in a tractor-trailer driven by a man who claimed to be a Mexican citizen.
Agents first encountered the man when he drove to the inspection area and said he didn’t have proper documentation to work in the United States, according to the release.
After they sent him to another inspection area, agents there noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from the trailer, the release stated. A narcotics detection dog indicated the presence of drugs, and a subsequent search revealed 134 bundles of marijuana concealed behind a wooden panel in the trailer. The marijuana has an estimated value of $2.52 million, the release stated.
The driver, whose name and nationality were not immediately available, was arrested. He, the alleged marijuana and the tractor-trailer were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.