Border Officers Report Finding Pot In Wooden Planks Of Tractor Trailer

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they found a load of marijuana hidden under wooden planks that made up the floor of a small trailer attached to a pickup late Wednesday at the Bridge of the Americas.

According to a news release, a 1988 Chevrolet pickup towing a small trailer was selected for a secondary inspection, at which time officers initiated a thorough inspection and noticed anomalies in the appearance of the trailer. Officers found 258 pounds of marijuana in 42 metal containers after dismantling the wooden planks of the trailer floor

“Smugglers went to extreme efforts to conceal this drug load,” said Barry Miller, acting El Paso port director. “Custom building metal boxes and then covering those with strips of wood in attempt to thwart the inspection process was in vain because of the trained eye of the CBP officer.”

CBP officers detained 28-year-old Crosby Ekal Ledezma Hernandez and 25-year-old Cinthya Karina Cera Monclava both of of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico. Both were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents and arrested on suspicion of importation of a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, both felonies.