Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized nearly 4 tons of marijuana Thursday after finding it hidden in a shipment of jalapeno peppers, according to authorities.
Officials found the marijuana wrapped in 314 large packages while searching a tractor-trailer at the Otay Mesa cargo facility in San Diego, officials said. The marijuana weighed about 7,560 pounds and had an estimated street value of $2.3 million.
In a statement released by CBP, Otay Mesa Port Director Rose Hernandez praised officers for the seizure of the "significant marijuana load."
"Not only did they prevent the drugs from reaching our community, they also prevented millions of dollars of potential profit from making it into the hands of a transnational criminal organization," Hernandez said.
Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan also praised officers in a statement posted Friday on Twitter and noted the incident marked the second large marijuana seizure in several days at the Otay Mesa cargo facility.
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