Border Patrol Seizes Nearly 400 Pounds of Marijuana Stashed in Gas Tank

On Dec 15, 2009, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents working the Highway 86 checkpoint seized nearly 400 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of more than $300,000. At approximately 5:30 a.m., a white colored pick-up truck approached the primary inspection area at the Highway 86 Border Patrol checkpoint. The pick-up was referred to the secondary inspection.

While in secondary, a Border Patrol canine team conducted a cursory inspection of the vehicle. The canine team alerted to the bed area of the pick-up. A physical search of the bed area of the pick-up revealed 64 bundles of marijuana. All 64 bundles were concealed inside an auxiliary gas tank located in the bed of the pick-up.

The driver of the pick-up, a legal permanent resident, was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and marijuana.


According to El Centro Sector, Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Calhoon, “This is a testament of Border Patrol’s effectiveness,” he said. “It shows how our checkpoints are a valuable tool when it comes to establishing a second line of defense for stemming the flow of dangerous narcotics into our country.”