Hourly Update

2,700 pounds of marijuana found on produce truck

A Mexican man was arrested at the Nogales port of entry Thursday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found more than 2,700 pounds of marijuana hidden among pallets of produce on a truck he was driving. The driver, a 40-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, was a participant in the Free and Secure Trade program, which makes it easier for low-risk international trade participants to enter the country, according to a press release from Customs and Border Protection. The driver’s participation in the program was immediately revoked, according to the release. Just after 1 p.m. officers screening commercial trucks and imports noticed the driver acted nervous when asked routine questions and then conducted intensive search of the truck and the produce inside. The truck was screened with a mobile x-ray truck, which discovered abnormalities in the trailer’s contents. Officers then conducted a complete inspection and while unloading the trailer discovered large bundles of marijuana stacked between pallets. The 111 bundles of marijuana weighed 2,763 pounds, according to the release. Because of the trust placed in Free and Secure Trade participants every effort is made to see violators prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, according to Customs and Border Protection. Since Oct. 1, the beginning of the fiscal year, officers at the Nogales port of entry have seized 17,207 pounds of marijuana in 101 incidents, according to the release.