OTAY MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - A big rig driver who claimed he was carrying cilantro was arrested Sunday on suspicion of trying to smuggle marijuana through the Otay Mesa border crossing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers sent the truck through an x-ray exam and found an anomaly on Sunday afternoon at the Cargo port of entry.
A secondary inspection with a narcotic detecting dog led to the discovery of wrapped packages of marijuana hidden inside boxes of cilantro, the CBP said.
Officers said they found 2,138 pounds of pot worth about $1.2 million.
The driver, a 51 year old Mexican national, was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security.
