254 pounds of marijuana seized at Santa Teresa port of entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry found 254 pounds of marijuana in one seizure Wednesday.

The estimated street value of the drugs is $203,200.

“Smugglers went to a lot of effort to conceal this drug load,” said Jesse Proctor, acting CBP Santa Teresa Port Director. “The multiple layers of enforcement CBP employs led to this seizure.”

The seizure was made just before 8 a.m. Wednesday when a 2001 Dodge 2500 work truck entered the port from Mexico.

CBP officers x-rayed the vehicle and spotted anomalies in the appearance of the bed of the truck. The area was opened revealing two thin metal compartments containing 159 plastic-wrapped bundles of marijuana.

CBP officer arrested the driver of the truck, 31-year-old Jorge A. Macias of El Paso. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents to face charges associated with the failed smuggling attempt.