Font ResizeLAS CRUCES - A 37-year-old Juárez man was arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle $723,747 of marijuana hidden in his truck into the country.
The man arrived at the Santa Teresa port of entry around 9:15 a.m. Monday and told officials he had nothing to declare and was planning on shopping in the U.S., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officers selected his 1991 Ford F-150 for a gamma-ray exam, which allegedly revealed several anomalies in the bed of the pickup truck. At a secondary inspection area, an extensive inspection of the bed revealed a non-factory compartment containing 290 bundles of marijuana, weighing 311.96 pounds.
The driver was arrested and turned over to the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics agency.
"CBP officers and the use of high-tech tools greatly contributed to this significant seizure and the arrest of the driver," said Grace Gomez, acting port director for CBP in Santa Teresa. "While smugglers are only limited by their imagination, they are often thwarted by the hard work and diligence of the CBP workforce."
