This is information obtained from the reports of the border patrol, right there at the nuevo laredo crossing….hmmm read i
| U.S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes 3,164 Pounds of Marijuana, Truck Driver Arrested (Wednesday, November 12, 2003) contacts for this news release Laredo, TX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at World Trade Bridge last night seized more than a ton and a half of marijuana hidden in a tractor-trailer. The driver was arrested.
“Our officers maintained their vigilance, applied their experience and training and seized a significant quantity of narcotics. This is the largest CBP marijuana seizure in Laredo so far in FY 2004, which began Oct. 1,” said Gene Garza, CBP Port Director, Laredo.
The seizure occurred about 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2003. A CBP Officer examining a 1998 Aeromax L9000 tractor hauling a load of welded utility fence noted some discrepancies in the manifest, but the driver took off before the Officer could refer him to secondary inspection. CBP Officers stopped the tractor at the exit gate and referred the tractor-trailer for a non-intrusive imaging system scan. The scan indicated anomalies within the merchandise. CBP Canine “Miaka” also alerted to the odor of marijuana in the trailer. Upon further examination, CBP Officers discovered 67 bundles containing a total of 3,164 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $3.1 million.
The driver, Jose Alberto Perez-Aranda, 34, a Mexican national from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico was arrested on federal charges of importation and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Special Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are scheduled to bring Perez-Aranda before a federal magistrate today for his initial appearance.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security that unifies U.S. Customs, Immigration and Agriculture Inspectors and the U.S. Border Patrol.
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