Officers seized 1500 pounds of pot hidden in a shipment of tea leaves at the Wednesday at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo crossing near Tijuana reported finding the drugs in a shipment labeled “natural hibiscus tea leaves."
Drug smelling dogs alerted authorities to the contraband.
“This was good work by the team of officers working at the port of entry,” Port Director Rosa Hernandez said in a news release. “Their hard work and effective scrutiny stopped marijuana from entering the U.S. and ultimately, funds from flowing back into the pockets of transnational criminal organizations.”
Officials say the drugs have an estimated street value of over $900,000.