PHARR, Texas -- Border Patrol agents seized several thousand pounds of alleged marijuana disguised as - what else - fresh watermelons from a southeastern Texas border checkpoint earlier this month.
Authorities say the seizure occurred on Jan. 17 at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility. Imaging technology and canine teams identified the alleged marijuana hidden within a larger shipment of actual watermelons.
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The alleged marijuana was distributed within nearly 400 individual packages, with a total value over $600,000.
"Smugglers continue to be creative as they attempt to introduce illegal narcotics into our country," Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. said in a news release. "Our frontline CBP officers' experience, vigilance and attention to detail prevents the introduction of these dangerous drugs into our country."
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The case remains under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.