Agents assigned to the San Clemente Station's Commercial Vehicle Interdiction Squad stopped a 43-year-old man driving a truck pulling a 53-foot trailer at the I-5 checkpoint. The agents said the man was a U.S. citizen, and the stop happened shortly before 1 p.m. Friday.
After questioning the driver, agents directed him to the secondary inspection area, where a Border Patrol K-9 alerted something suspicious in the trailer.
Upon search of the trailer, agents found 218 boxes filled with approximately 18,458 pounds of marijuana, which amounts to an approximate street value of $14,766,448.
The driver, tractor-trailer and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
