7,300 pounds of marijuana seized at SD entry ports – San Jose Mercury News
SAN DIEGO—More than 7,300 pounds of marijuana have been seized at ports of entry near San Diego, and a driver in a federal trusted-traveler program is accused of smuggling in some of the drugs.Federal officials say the marijuana was seized Tuesday in three busts—two at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and the other at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Officials say a van at Otay Mesa was holding about 4,400 pounds of marijuana, and another van waiting in line nearby had more than 2,900 pounds. The drivers—both Mexicans—were arrested.
The bust in San Ysidro involved a driver in the trusted traveler program SENTRI. Officials say the driver, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen who lives in Tijuana, was driving a truck with nearly 255 pounds of marijuana valued at $115,000.
This SENTRI system, or Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, was first instituted at Otay Mesa in 1995 to speed up the process of checking the trucks coming through the border. You have to go through a lengthy process to get into this program:
SENTRI provides expedited CBP processing for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Applicants must voluntarily undergo a thorough biographical background check against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, and terrorist indices; a 10-fingerprint law enforcement check; and a personal interview with a CBP Officer.
This costs at least $122, more if you’re registering multiple drivers and multiple vehicles. Then you get a special ID card with a radio chip and your vehicle gets a special scannable sticker, and you get to go through the border checkpoint in a special express lane that takes about 10 seconds instead of about 35 seconds.
Who would’ve thought that marijuana smugglers from Mexico would take advantage of that system? And if smugglers can get through these background checks, fingerprinting, and an interview, why couldn’t terrorists?
