Posted on March 3, 2015

Record-Breaking Bust: 15 Tons of Pot Seized at Otay Mesa Port

Andie Adams, NBC San Diego, February 28, 2015

More than 15 tons of marijuana hidden in a mattress shipment was seized at the Otay Mesa cargo port of entry–the largest narcotics bust in the history of that border crossing and the second largest seizure at any crossing nationwide.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made the find as they inspected a truck claiming to carry mattresses and cushions on Thursday evening.

{snip}

Officers tallied the find, which came to 1,296 packages containing about 31,598 pounds of marijuana. That load has an estimated street value of about $18.96 million.

The driver, a 46-year-old Mexican citizen with a valid border crossing card, was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. {snip}

{snip}