Marijuana Found Hidden In Melons At Border Checkpoint

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio inspection station said they stopped a marijuana smuggling attempt early Monday morning.

At approximately 12:40 a.m., a tractor-trailer driven by a Mexican national drove up to the primary inspection lane of the Highway 86 checkpoint, an agent said.

A canine team performed its first inspection, and alerted authorities to the front end of the trailer.

The tractor-trailer was then referred to the secondary inspection area, agents said. During that search, agents discovered several cellophane-wrapped packages containing marijuana hidden within the cargo of spoiled watermelons.

The driver, tractor-trailer and marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Agents estimated the value of the marijuana at nearly $140,000.