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Seizure is believed to be largest ever in Southwest
SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) --In what is believed to be the largest-ever marijuana bust along America's southwestern border, U.S. Customs Service officers have seized nearly 20,000 pounds of marijuana from a tractor-trailer, officials said Saturday.
"This is a huge seizure," said Michael Turner, special agent in charge of the U.S. Customs office of investigations in San Diego. "Any time we can prevent 10 tons of narcotics from entering the streets of America, it's a great day for the U.S. Customs Service."
Friday afternoon, the truck was crossing into California from Mexico with a load of computer circuit boards. At a scheduled inspection at the U.S. entry port of Otay Mesa, California, just south of San Diego, a drug-sniffing dog summoned officials to the back of the rig, customs officials said.
"When the 30-foot trailer was opened, inspectors found numerous boxes containing packages with a green leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana," officials said.
In all, officials seized more than 4,000 packages weighing nearly 20,000 pounds. Customs agents estimated the marijuana's value at more than $9 million.
Customs agents arrested the truck driver, Carlos Ibarra, 39, of Tijuana, Mexico.
The seizure tops previous marijuana busts in the Southwest. In April 2001, customs officers intercepted more than 15,000 pounds of the drug at Otay Mesa. Earlier this month, officers found 12,600 pounds of marijuana at the El Paso, Texas, border station.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/02/2...ust/index.html
SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) --In what is believed to be the largest-ever marijuana bust along America's southwestern border, U.S. Customs Service officers have seized nearly 20,000 pounds of marijuana from a tractor-trailer, officials said Saturday.
"This is a huge seizure," said Michael Turner, special agent in charge of the U.S. Customs office of investigations in San Diego. "Any time we can prevent 10 tons of narcotics from entering the streets of America, it's a great day for the U.S. Customs Service."
Friday afternoon, the truck was crossing into California from Mexico with a load of computer circuit boards. At a scheduled inspection at the U.S. entry port of Otay Mesa, California, just south of San Diego, a drug-sniffing dog summoned officials to the back of the rig, customs officials said.
"When the 30-foot trailer was opened, inspectors found numerous boxes containing packages with a green leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana," officials said.
In all, officials seized more than 4,000 packages weighing nearly 20,000 pounds. Customs agents estimated the marijuana's value at more than $9 million.
Customs agents arrested the truck driver, Carlos Ibarra, 39, of Tijuana, Mexico.
The seizure tops previous marijuana busts in the Southwest. In April 2001, customs officers intercepted more than 15,000 pounds of the drug at Otay Mesa. Earlier this month, officers found 12,600 pounds of marijuana at the El Paso, Texas, border station.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/02/2...ust/index.html
I'm so glad our Customs agents are worrying about marijuana when there are real criminals and terrorists out there trying to smuggle in WoMD to the US. I saw on "Round Table" this morning that only about 1% of cargo containers that enter the US are inspected. It reminds me of what Oppenheimer said in 1946 when asked if someone could smuggle in a nuclear weapon and detonate it in New York:"Of course! The first person to try will succeed"
So while our tax dollars are being wasted on tax cuts to the rich and our homeland security dollars are being spent on busting marijuana smugglers (a substance that should be legal anyways), some terrorist somewhere is trying to acquire a WoMD.
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