Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
An Aurora woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 551 pounds of marijuana into the United States hidden under the floorboard of her 2004 Ford Expedition.
Vanessa Fuller, 22, was with her 18-month-old son at the time.
"That is a really big load in a private vehicle," said Roger Maier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Protection. He said typically agents find from 50 to 150 pounds.
Maier said the street value of the marijuana in New Mexico is between $800 and $1,000 a pound. He said that in Colorado, the street value of the marijuana would be higher - meaning the marijuana recovered Sunday had a street value of about half a million dollars.
Maier said Fuller pulled into the U.S. Customs and Protection border station just before 3:00 p.m. Sunday in Columbus, N.M., after leaving the Mexican town of Palomas.
He said one customs officer initially talked to Fuller and then had her drive to a secondary inspection area. There a drug-sniffing dog picked up on the rear cargo area of the Expedition.
At that point, officers used a probe to take a sample from packages stored in the back and it came back positive for marijuana, said Maier.
X-ray type equipment found irregularities under the floor boards consistent with drug smuggling. Agents dismantled the SUV and found 309 marijuana bundles weighing 551 pounds, he said.
Maier said that Fuller has been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents to face federal drug smuggling charges.
Her son has been placed with the New Mexico Department of Child Protective Services.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Denver Post
Author: Howard Pankratz
Copyright: 2010 The Denver Post
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Aurora woman stopped at border with 551 pounds of pot - The Denver Post
Vanessa Fuller, 22, was with her 18-month-old son at the time.
"That is a really big load in a private vehicle," said Roger Maier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Protection. He said typically agents find from 50 to 150 pounds.
Maier said the street value of the marijuana in New Mexico is between $800 and $1,000 a pound. He said that in Colorado, the street value of the marijuana would be higher - meaning the marijuana recovered Sunday had a street value of about half a million dollars.
Maier said Fuller pulled into the U.S. Customs and Protection border station just before 3:00 p.m. Sunday in Columbus, N.M., after leaving the Mexican town of Palomas.
He said one customs officer initially talked to Fuller and then had her drive to a secondary inspection area. There a drug-sniffing dog picked up on the rear cargo area of the Expedition.
At that point, officers used a probe to take a sample from packages stored in the back and it came back positive for marijuana, said Maier.
X-ray type equipment found irregularities under the floor boards consistent with drug smuggling. Agents dismantled the SUV and found 309 marijuana bundles weighing 551 pounds, he said.
Maier said that Fuller has been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents to face federal drug smuggling charges.
Her son has been placed with the New Mexico Department of Child Protective Services.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Denver Post
Author: Howard Pankratz
Copyright: 2010 The Denver Post
Contact: Contact Us - The Denver Post
Website: Aurora woman stopped at border with 551 pounds of pot - The Denver Post
