Truck’s manifest said ‘plastic garment hangers.’ CBP found 10 tons of pot instead.

A routine border crossing inspection turned into a massive drug bust at a California port of entry earlier this week.

The drug discovery was made at the Otay Mesa Cargo port of entry in California around 9 a.m. on Monday, November 17, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Authorities say that a 47 year old Mexican citizen was driving a tractor trailer full of “plastic garment hangers”, according to the truck’s manifest, at the port of entry when he was referred for a secondary inspection.

After an x-ray scan of the truck turned up suspicious results, a canine unit screened the truck and alerted to the trailer.

Officers opened the trailer looked behind a few rows of boxes, and found 858 plastic wrapped packages stacked floor to ceiling containing a total of ten tons of marijuana.

The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately  $8.4 million.

Authorities cancelled the truck driver’s B1/B2 and handed him over to Homeland Security. The truck, trailer, and contents of the trailer were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“The ability of CBP officers to interdict contraband at the port of entry is a perfect example of CBP’s efforts to secure our border,” said Joseph Misenhelter, Officer in Charge at the Otay Mesa port of entry.  “CBP officers prevented over 10 tons of marijuana from entering our community.”