U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 1½ tons of marijuana hidden in bundles in a tractor-trailer rig at the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales on Monday.
The rig, driven by a Mexican national, was taken into an inspection area where an x-ray scan revealed an "anomaly," according to a news release from the agency. A drug dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics inside what the agency said was an "empty" trailer.
Behind a "false wall," officers found 139 bundles of marijuana with a combined weight of 2,946 pounds, which is estimated to be worth about $1.47 million, the agency said.
The driver of the rig, Jose Enriquez-Anzar, 70, was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
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The Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol also reported seizing nearly $1.2 million in marijuana in the past two weeks. Agents in the sector also seized three vehicles and arrested four suspects in connection with criminal cases.
The largest load in that time frame was found in an abandoned vehicle by Ajo Station agents. A Chevrolet truck, which was reported stolen out of Phoenix, contained more than 1,800 pounds of marijuana, worth about $930,000.
The truck was turned over to the Tohono O'odham Police Department.
Contact reporter Yoohyun Jung at 520-573-4224 or yjung@tucson.com. On Twitter: @yoohyun_jung.
Yoohyun Jung
Data reporter
