A man crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego with gardening tools in his truck was arrested after officers found nearly 100 pounds of marijuana hidden in two lawnmowers, authorities said Thursday.
The man, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen, passed through the San Ysidro checkpoint in his 1995 Dodge Dakota truck about 3 a.m. Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said.
A customs officer became suspicious and sent the man to a secondary inspection area, where the truck was examined by an officer with a drug-sniffing dog.
The blades of the lawnmowers had been removed to make space for 25 wrapped packages with 91 pounds of pot, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The man was arrested and booked into San Diego County Jail.
–Robert J. Lopez