U.S. citizen arrested for attempting to smuggle 1,400 pounds of marijuana over border

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A U.S. citizen was taken into custody Monday after attempting to drive across the Otay Mesa border with nearly 1,400 pounds of marijuana in the back of his truck, federal officials reported Wednesday.

Drug-sniffing dogs alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to the truck loaded with boxes and household goods as the 30-year-old driver was waiting in an inspection line. 

According to Angelica De Cima, a spokeswoman for the federal agency, officers found 54 large packages containing 1,374 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the moving boxes.

The drugs had an estimated street value of more than $824,000, she said.

The driver, a U.S. citizen whose name was withheld, was taken into custody and turned over to special agents with Homeland Security Investigations, De Cima said. Customs and Border Protection officers seized the truck and its contents, including the marijuana.