Trucker arrested for stashing $4.1 million in cocaine in load of stone

Decorative stone
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

A trucker was arrested last week when more than $4 million worth of cocaine was discovered in his load of decorative stone.

According to a statement from the agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at the Tecate Cargo Facility in San Diego found the cocaine Jan.11. Officers encountered a 36-year-old driver of a tractor-trailer with a shipment manifested as decorative stone.  During the inspection, a CBP officer referred the driver along with the tractor-trailer for a more intensive examination.

During the exam, CBP officers randomly offloaded one of the commodities within the trailer and observed an anomaly on one of the stones. A CBP K-9 team screened the shipment and received a positive alert from the detector dog.

Officers discovered 57 cellophane-wrapped packages of cocaine. The packages of cocaine were concealed within a plaster-like material designed to appear like stones.CBP officers extracted approximately 256 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated street value of about $4.1 million.

CBP officers seized the narcotics, and the tractor,-trailer. 

The driver was detained for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt. CBP officers turned the driver, a Mexican citizen, over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.