FAST trucker caught at Calexico
U.S. border officers on Monday made a large seizure and arrest at the Calexico, Calif., port of entry involving a trucker registered in the Free and Secure Trade program and eligible for expedited clearance, Customs and Border Protection announced.
The 25-year-old Mexican driver was waiting in line for the primary booth when a canine detection team alerted officers that drugs were present. His manifest declared the cargo in the tractor-trailer as flat screen TVs, but a gamma ray inspection led to the discovery of 8.85 tons of marijuana hidden among the legitimate cargo. CBP valued the drugs at $67.3 million.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the case.
FAST requires carriers, drivers, importers and southern border manufacturers to submit an application, agreement and security profile. Shippers must belong to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism in order for their trucking providers to receive expedited processing at the border crossing.
About half of the 416 companies that have been suspended or removed from the voluntary trade security program in the past four years are Mexican highway carriers, according to the C-TPAT program manager.
FAST trucker caught at Calexico
