ALERTS
Man arrested at Arizona border with pot in bell peppers
The border fence in downtown Nogales.
Photographer: Jonathan Clark, www.nogalesinternational.com
Posted: 03/13/2013
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By: Associated Press
NOGALES, AZ - A Mexican man driving a big rig is in custody for allegedly trying to smuggle more than a ton of marijuana hidden in bell peppers into southern Arizona.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales referred the 35-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer for an additional inspection Tuesday.
The big rig was X-rayed and a CBP dog detected drugs in a shipment of bell peppers.
Authorities say a further search led to the discovery of 280 packages of marijuana in the pepper shipment.
They say the marijuana has an estimated street value of more than $1 million.
The drugs and big rig were seized.
The driver was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. His name hasn't been released yet.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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