Federal officials on Friday announced the seizure of 7 tons of marijuana valued at more than $7 million at a San Diego border crossing, a seizure described as unusually large.
The marijuana was found in an old tractor-trailer that entered the Otay Mesa cargo facility about 9:40 a.m. Thursday, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Customs officers ran the truck through an imaging system and then opened boxes stacked inside containing 587 wrapped packages of marijuana, according to the paper.
The truck and trailer were seized and the 47-year-old Mexican driver was turned over to agents with the Department of Homeland Security.
The driver attempted to enter the country from Tijuana, Mexico, declaring that he was carrying furniture.
Border agents at border crossing cargo facilities in Southern California have seized bigger shipments of marijuana.
The record was set in 2013 when 17 tons of marijuana were confiscated and nearly broken in 2015 when 16 tons were confiscated, the Union-Tribune reported.
Still, the paper reported that Thursday’s seizure was unusually large.
Smugglers have typically sent smaller loads in trucks and cars. They have turned in recent years to building tunnels to move larger quantities of marijuana.
