October 22, 09

NEWS / CBP Catches Trusted Traveler with More than 100 Pounds of Marijuana Hidden in Speaker Box

San Diego - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro border crossing Tuesday caught a 19-year-old female enrolled in CBP’s “trusted traveler” program allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 100 pounds of marijuana into the United States.


On Tuesday, October 20, at about 6:30 p.m. a 19-year-old female legal permanent resident of the United States attempted to enter the country using a dedicated SENTRI lane, since she was a program participant.

SENTRI, the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, is CBP’s Trusted Traveler program along the southern border of the United States. The voluntary program provides dedicated vehicle lanes and expedited processing at various ports of entry for pre-approved, low risk travelers. Travelers who elect to enter the program face some additional scrutiny, including an interview with CBP officers, fingerprinting, and background check, before they are allowed to participate.


The CBP officer interviewing the woman inspected the trunk of her 2004 Nissan Sentra, and noticed a speaker box that looked suspicious.


CBP officers pulled the car and driver aside for a more intensive inspection and screened the car with a narcotic detector dog, receiving an alert to the speaker box, and with a gamma ray inspection, which revealed anomalies with the speaker box.


Officers found 24 packages of marijuana hidden inside the fake speaker box in the vehicle’s trunk, containing about 108 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $65,000.


CBP seized the vehicle and narcotics and turned the driver over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; she is currently being held at the Las Colinas Prison for Women.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/10212009_6.xml


Tags: background check,