A near-record load of marijuana -- more than 15 tons -- was seized this week at the Otay Mesa border crossing from a truck carrying a shipment of mattresses and cushions, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Agents found 1,296 packages of marijuana inside the truck’s trailer. The 31,598 pounds of pot had an estimated street value of $18.96 million, officials said.

The truck driver, a 46-year-old Mexican national, was arrested and the truck-and-trailer and its contents seized.

The seizure was made Thursday night when the truck was directed for an X-ray exam and agents noticed “an anomaly.”


“I am extremely proud of the work my officers do,” said Otay Mesa Cargo Port Director Rosa Hernandez.

The seizure is the second-largest ever in a single incident at a U.S. border crossing. The record remains the 35,265 pounds seized one day in 2013 at the Calexico East border crossing.

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