Federal agents seize 6,500 pounds of marijuana at US – Mexico border

Federal agents staffing inspection stations at the U.S.-Mexico line in San Diego over the weekend seized a haul of about 6,500 pounds of marijuana and arrested a fugitive murder suspect, authorities reported on Monday.

At about 9:15 p.m. on Friday, a 20-year-old Tijuana resident drove into Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a big rig, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. During an examination of the vehicle, a service dog alerted inspectors to the presence of contraband in or near pallets underneath a shipment of acrylic displays in the cargo trailer, according to officials.

Within the support platforms, the officers discovered 262 packages of cannabis hidden inside cardboard boxes, according to officials. The driver, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and booked into Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego. His name was not released.

On Sunday, CBP agents working at San Ysidro Port of Entry arrested a 20- year old man wanted in connection with a slaying in the Fresno area.

Nicolas Andres Alcala, a U.S. citizen who lives in San Diego, was trying to pass through a pedestrian-processing area when an officer checked his name against law enforcement databases and came across a homicide warrant out for him.

Alcala was booked into San Diego Central Jail to await extradition to Central California.