- Customs and Border Protection officers found nearly four tons of marijuana hidden in a shipment of jalapeños at a California-Mexico border crossing on Thursday.
- CBP seized the marijuana and the truck, which was driven by a Mexican national.
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Customs and Border Patrol officers made a stunning discovery when they searched a shipment of jalapeños trying to enter the US last week.
A 37-year-old Mexican national tried to cross into California last Thursday in a tractor-trailer purporting to contain a shipment of the peppers, according to a press release from CBP.
But when the truck was singled out for a secondary inspection, a canine team alerted CBP officers to take a closer look.
When officers broke open the cardboard boxes, peppers fell out to reveal dozens of plastic-wrapped bales of marijuana.
It's estimated that the marijuana amounted to 7,560 pounds with a potential street value of $2.3 million.
The shipment and the truck were taken into custody by CBP, though it's unclear whether the driver will face charges.
"I am proud of the officers for seizing this significant marijuana load," Otay Mesa Port Director Rosa Hernandez said in the press release. "Not only did they prevent the drugs from reaching our community, they also prevented millions of dollars of potential profit from making it into the hands of a transnational criminal organization."
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