$ 9 Million of marijuana stashed in rail car, hidden beneath layers of glass, dirt and debris.

Packages of marijuana were hidden beneath the gondola’s contents and were detected by CBP officers.

At the Calexico railroad yard, an intensive inspection that included a canine team led officers to the discovery of 352 wrapped packages concealed under layers of glass, dirt and wood in the gondola rail car. Ten additional packages concealed in two backpacks were also located on a second rail car. The street value of the narcotic load is more than $9 million.

“This is another example of how technology, detector dogs and hard work by our officers all contribute to keeping a large amount of dangerous drugs from reaching our communities,” said Billy Whitford, port director for the Calexico port of entry.

Gondola-style rail car that held $9 million stash of marijuana

CBP seized the narcotics and returned the shipment of glass, dirt and wood to Mexico.

Source = CBP

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The incident occurred on Wednesday, January 27, at about 10 a.m. when a CBP officer conducting vehicle primary inspections referred the driver, a 37-year-old female Mexican citizen and her 17-year-old son to vehicle secondary for further examination.

An intensive inspection that included a canine screening and x-ray equipment led officers to the discovery of 15 wrapped packages of cocaine. The narcotic has a street value of $360,000.

The driver and passenger, both residents of Calexico, were arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further processing. CBP seized both vehicle and narcotic.

On Friday, November 27, at about 7 p.m., a 30-year-old Mexicali man entered the cargo port driving a 1998 tractor trailer with cargo manifested as door locks. A CBP officer conducting primary operations referred the conveyance to the secondary dock area for further inspection.

At the cargo dock area, a canine team was screening tractor trailers when it alerted to the 1998 tractor trailer. An intensive examination of the conveyance and shipment led officers to the discovery of 458 wrapped packages of marijuana concealed in 67 cardboard boxes. The marijuana load has a street value of approximately $5.9 million.

The driver, a Mexican national, was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further investigation.

CBP seized the narcotics and conveyance.

On Thursday, November 5, at about 4:30 a.m., at the Calexico downtown port, CBP officers arrested a 34-year-old male U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 56 pounds of cocaine into the country.

The CBP officer targeted the man and his vehicle, a white 2001 Honda Odyssey van, for a more intensive examination. Officers examined the van and used a detector dog to find 22 wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside a non-factory compartment located in the floor area near the front seats. The street value of the narcotic is estimated at approximately $504,000.

CBP officers turned over the driver, a resident of El Centro, Calif., to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further investigation on the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.

Another cocaine seizure occurred a day earlier at about 8 a.m. at the Calexico East port of entry when a CBP officer referred a 19-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a green 2000 Pontiac Grand Am for further inspection.

CBP officers conducted an intensive inspection and discovered ten wrapped packages of cocaine concealed inside the rocker panels of the vehicle. Each rocker panel contained five wrapped packages. The narcotics weighed about 26 pounds with a street value of approximately $234,000.

CBP officers arrested the driver, a resident of Culiacan, Mexico, for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and transferred him over to ICE agents for further investigation.

In both incidents, CBP seized the narcotics and vehicle.

The interceptions come on the heels of three other cocaine and marijuana seizures that occurred over the weekend at the Calexico downtown port of entry.

The most recent interception occurred on Tuesday, October 27, at about 8 a.m. at the Calexico West port of entry when officers arrested a 41-year-old female U. S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 38 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a blue 2003 Toyota Corolla.

The driver was waiting in line for inspection when a canine alerted to the vehicle. Both the driver and vehicle were escorted to the vehicle secondary examination area for further inspection.

An intensive inspection resulted in the discovery of 23 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed inside a non-factory compartment underneath the vehicle’s rear seats. The street value of the narcotic is approximately $399,000.

The female driver, a resident of Los Angeles was turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further investigation.

The second interception occurred about an hour and a half earlier when a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a white 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara was referred to the secondary examination area for further inspection.

In secondary, an intensive inspection that included use of a detector dog led officers to the discovery of 18 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed inside a non-factory compartment underneath the rear seats. The weight of the narcotic is 29 pounds with a street value of approximately $304,500.

The driver, a resident of Calexico, Calif., was arrested for the alleged illegal importation of narcotics into the United States and turned over to the custody of ICE agents for further investigation.

The third interception occurred on Monday, October 26, at about 11:45 p.m., at the Calexico East port of entry when a 33-year-old female U.S. citizen driving a black 1999 Isuzu Rodeo SUV was referred for further inspection.

During the secondary inspection, officers discovered 16 wrapped packages of marijuana, hashish and cocaine co-mingled in the vehicle’s gas tank and spare tire. The weight of the narcotics totaled 68 pounds with a combined street value of approximately $484,920.

The driver, a local resident of Mexicali, was arrested and turned over to ICE agents who transported her to the Imperial County Jail to await arraignment.

In all three incidents, CBP seized both the narcotics and vehicles.

On October 15, at approximately 8 p.m.., Border Patrol agents from the Calexico Station arrested a male Mexican national after he crossed illegally into the United States. The subject was subsequently transported to the Calexico Border Patrol Station for processing.

During processing, record checks revealed the subject was convicted of felony sexual battery in June of 2005. He was sentenced to 270 days in jail and received 36 months of probation for this conviction.

The subject will be processed for removal proceedings and deported back to Mexico.

Jeffrey A. Calhoon, chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector Border Patrol said, “Reducing crime in border communities is one facet of the Border Patrol’s National Strategy,” he said. “This is a perfect example of the Border Patrol taking one more dangerous criminal off the streets who is a threat to our border communities.”

The largest seizure occurred yesterday at about 9:15 a.m. after officers discovered an anomaly in the X-ray image of a 1984 Kenworth tractor pulling an empty trailer. The primary officer had developed information that caused him to refer the conveyance to be run through the port’s X-ray system and an intensive examination.

A false compartment behind the cab of tractor-trailer is opened to reveal 30 bundles of marijuana.
CBP officers at the Calexico, Calif. cargo port were able to prevent this tractor-trailer from bringing marijuana into the country. When a false compartment behind the cab was opened it revealed 30 bundles of marijuana.

Officers subsequently found 30 large packages of marijuana weighing 543 pounds in a false wall compartment behind the cab of the tractor.

The driver, a 36-year-old Tijuana man, was arrested and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center. CBP seized the marijuana and the tractor and trailer.

About two hours later, officers intercepted another marijuana smuggling attempt when an empty 1992 Bobtail truck, driven by a 36-year-old Tijuana man, entered the port for inspection. The primary officer noticed inconsistencies with the truck and referred it for a more in-depth examination.

Officers drilled into the truck’s frame rails and discovered a leafy green substance that

Field tested positive for marijuana. They extracted 37 packages of marijuana weighing 81 pounds from both frame rails of the bobtail.

The driver was arrested. CBP seized the marijuana and the conveyance.