Authorities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have seized more than $114 million worth of narcotics from commercial trucks so far in September, while a Canadian man accused of helping run a $450 million contraband tobacco network was extradited from Mexico.
$48M marijuana seizure in New Jersey
A traffic stop on Interstate 78 in Warren County uncovered 7,645 pounds of hydroponic marijuana, tens of thousands of THC vapes and gummies, and cannabis resin worth $48 million, according to New Jersey State Police. The seizure occurred on Sept. 10.
Two Texas men were arrested and charged with multiple drug offenses.
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$24M in narcotics at San Diego border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in San Diego reported 155 seizures in August, including meth hidden in furniture at Otay Mesa, in a bus fuel tank at Calexico, and in jalapeño paste barrels at Tecate. The total street value was $24 million.
$23M meth bust at the Port of Mazatlán
Mexican naval authorities seized 1.5 tons of methamphetamine worth $23 million hidden in a tractor-trailer’s false bottom at the Port of Mazatlán on Sept. 15.
Laredo bridge seizures: $16M in mangoes, $3.3M in cement
At the World Trade Bridge, CBP officers intercepted 1,790 pounds of meth worth $16 million in a frozen mango shipment on Sept. 9 from a truck arriving from Mexico. A separate inspection days later uncovered 368 pounds of meth valued at $3.3 million in a Mexico-sourced cement load on Sept. 16.
Nearly 1,000 pounds of cocaine stopped in California
Police in Barstow used a K-9 unit to uncover 999 pounds of cocaine during a freeway traffic stop on Sept. 13, according to KABC. The packages were marked with images of Pablo Escobar and a “98%” logo.
Canada-bound truck caught with meth, cocaine
At the Detroit-Windsor crossing, CBP agents found nearly a thousand pounds of meth and 1,047 pounds of cocaine in a Canadian-plated truck arriving from the U.S. on Sept. 11. The driver, a Canadian citizen, faces federal charges.
Mississippi traffic stop nets 1,000 pounds of marijuana
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) seized $230,000 worth of counterfeit Nike and Louis Vuitton products from a tractor-trailer traveling on I-20 in Rankin County on Sept. 14. The co-drivers were arrested.
In a separate case, MDPS discovered over 1,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in a commercial truck’s load during a roadside inspection on Sept. 11. The driver was arrested.
Canadian extradited in $450M tobacco case
Canadian national Martin Bessette, 50, who had fled sentencing in 2022 after pleading guilty in a tobacco smuggling probe known as Project Butane, was extradited from Mexico on Aug. 29, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency.
CBSA said that Bessette was one of the leaders of a smuggling operation using commercial trucks as part of a cross-border tobacco smuggling network estimated at more than $450 million.
On September 29, 2022, Bessette failed to appear at his sentencing trial, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Related: Border drug busts in US, Canada top $90M in August
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