12K Pounds Of Pot Packed With Papayas Seized At Otay Mesa

Imperial Beach CA

24 February, 2021

10:18 AM

Description

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — More than 12,000 pounds of marijuana packed within a shipment of papayas was seized this week at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. A 50-year-old male Mexican citizen pulled into the inspection station at about 5:45 p.m. Monday in a truck hauling a trailer with a shipment listed as "fresh papayas," according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. During an X-ray examination of the vehicle, an officer identified "anomalies" in the shipment and referred the tractor-trailer rig to a more intensive examination. Prior to offloading, a narcotic detector dog screened the shipment and alerted officers. Officers discovered 873 wrapped packages of marijuana mixed within the shipment of papayas. Officers seized the drugs, truck and trailer. The marijuana had a street value of about $27 million, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The driver, whose name was not released, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and then taken to the Metropolitan Correction Center in San Diego.