Federal officers discovered more than 1,600 pounds of marijuana hidden in landscaping stones loaded on a flatbed big rig at the Otay Mesa cargo facility Saturday, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers used an X-ray imaging device to examine the truck about noon, and they noticed something odd about the trailer.

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During a second inspection at a dock, a drug-sniffing dog reacted to the trailer.


A customs officer then drilled a hole in one of the stones and discovered “a leafy-green substance,” officials said. Officers extracted 577 bundles of marijuana from the stones.

The drugs have an estimated street value of about $810,000, officials said.

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