Watermelon shipment turns into marijuana bust at Border

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Federal agents staffing the Otay Mesa Port of Entry caught a man trying to smuggle about 1,570 pounds of marijuana into the United States in a shipment of watermelons, authorities reported Monday.

The suspect, whose name was withheld, drove a big rig into the inspection station about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Customs and Border Protection officials.

During an inspection of the vehicle, agents found a hidden compartment in the roof of the cargo trailer. Inside it they discovered 41 bundles of cannabis. The illicit haul had an estimated street value of more than $940,000, officials said.

Officers arrested the driver and turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents.