San Diego Police Seize 4 Tons Of Marijuana Buried In Jalapeños

Smugglers In San Diego Concealed Marijuana In Jalapeños

On August 18th, San Diego Police announced an unexpected discovery. U.S. officials opened a “trailer full of jalapenos,” finding marijuana nestled in the peppers. The San Diego checkpoint seized about 4 tons of marijuana that was found buried in the pepper shipment. The image of the pile of peppers release via a Twitter tweet, revealing the 314 storage packages containing marijuana.

According to sources, a 37-year-old Mexican citizen arrived at the port after driving the truck. Later, Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed the details in a statement. Additional details cited there was more than “7,560 pounds, which had an estimated value of $2.3 million.” Police were already suspicious, as the drug seizure “came the day after more than 10,000 pounds of marijuana” was discovered in plastic shipment. The shipment was found in the same port of entry as the truck carrying 7,560 pounds of marijuana.

A police dog was able to sniff out the stuffed peppers, causing police search the vehicle.When police officers searched the truck, they noticed the “green leafy substance” that later revealed itself as marijuana when tested. Photos from the scene displayed bright green shipping containers with heaps of fiery red peppers.

Why Police Discover Hidden Drugs

The seizures occurred 3 years after voters in California legalized marijuana. Since that time, the state has noticed an increase in their black market. Many theories suggest this uptick in illegal marijuana distribution is due to the lack of dispensaries in many California municipalities. Roughly 80% of California’s municipalities do not have dispensaries. Cities like Los Angeles also have black market sales, as “authorities have closed over 151 illegal shops.”

Others believe this occurs because of the high taxes and fees for marijuana. Marijuana has been and remains the most common substance officials seize. In 9 months, officials captured 225,000 pounds of marijuana nationally.