Drug-sniffing Dog Alerts Officers to Pot Hidden in Furniture

U.S. Custom Border Protection officers seized 224 pounds of marijuana June 8th at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

The pot was allegedly found in wooden tables towed by a 2001 Fort Econoline, CBP officials said.

The vehicle entered the port of entry from Mexico a little after 4 p.m. While inspecting the load, a CBP officer noticed an abnormal appearance when the truck was scanned with an x-ray machine.

The officer sent in a drug-sniffing dog, Pele, to inspect the load.

Pele alerted the officers to a table. CBP officers drilled into the top of the table, where they allegedly discovered 135 bundles of marijuana.

“Smugglers are only limited by their imagination and will go to extreme lengths in an effort to conceal their illicit goods. CBP officers used a variety of tools to locate this drug load,” Ray Provencio, the CBP Santa Teresa Port Director, said.

The people hauling the furniture were not arrested, officials said. The investigation continues.