U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
🇺🇸 United States · Customs · 56 reports
- People arrested
- 202
- Plants destroyed
- 49,665
- Cannabis seized
- 220.035 t
Totals of what these reports state; a report counts when a source it cites names the agency.
Canada-bound truck driver arrested with gun, marijuana in Detroit
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a gun and marijuana from a Canada-bound commercial truck driver at Detroit's Gordie Howe International Bridge on Oct. 27, 2026. The U.S.-citizen driver was arrested and turned over to the Detroit Police Department; no quantities or charges were disclosed.
Arrested 1Louisiana man jailed after 30 lb of cannabis found in SFO suitcase
A 50-year-old Louisiana man, Rafe Paul Grant, has been sentenced to jail after airport staff at San Francisco International Airport found 30 pounds (13.6 kg) of marijuana in his checked suitcase. He was detained by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in February 2025 before he could board a KLM flight to Amsterdam, and San Mateo County prosecutors announced the sentence in August 2026.
Arrested 1Sentenced 1Cannabis 13.6078 kgK-9 finds about 300 pounds of cannabis on I-87 traffic stop in Malta
New York State Police and U.S. Border Patrol stopped Tyler Thompson, 41, of Schenectady on Interstate 87 in Malta on 17 June 2026 and, with K-9 “J,” found about 300 pounds of cannabis in his vehicle. He was charged with first-degree criminal possession of cannabis and released on his own recognizance after arraignment in Malta Town Court.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 136.078 kg2 detained as 3,960 lb of marijuana seized in Caribbean
Two Ecuadorian suspects were detained in the Caribbean Sea on 11 June 2026 after a US P-3 aircraft tracked their three-engine go-fast boat and the Coast Guard intercepted it. The operation seized 3,960 pounds of marijuana, about 1,796 kilograms, according to CBP Air and Marine Operations.
Arrested 2Cannabis 1.796 t1,600 lb of marijuana found in chocolate shipment at Buffalo
CBP officers at Buffalo's Peace Bridge crossing searched a commercial truck manifested as chocolate and found 56 boxes holding more than 1,600 pounds of marijuana. The agency put the street value at about $4 million; no arrests were reported.
Cannabis 725.75 kg10,615 pounds of marijuana seized at Baltimore port
U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 10,615 pounds of marijuana in Baltimore on 29 May 2026 from a shipping container bound for Liverpool, England. The load was manifested as shirts and valued at $24 million, with no arrests reported as Homeland Security Investigations continues its inquiry.
Cannabis 4.815 tTask force raids Prague grows, seizes 48,665 plants and 1,803 lb
On 6 May 2026 Oklahoma's Organized Crime Task Force raided Benson Kush and Grand Growth in Prague, detaining 36 people, seizing 48,665 marijuana plants and 1,803 pounds of processed cannabis the attorney general valued at more than $3 million, and handing three people to ICE.
Arrested 36Plants destroyed 48,665Cannabis 817.8 kgTwo arrested at Dulles with 57 pounds of marijuana for London flight
Two Baltimore residents were arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport on April 16 after U.S. customs officers found 57 pounds 6 ounces of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags bound for London. The pair was handed to airport police and faces felony possession, distribution and conspiracy charges.
Arrested 2Charged 2Cannabis 26.02 kgCBP detains traveler, seizes 6.4 grams at Palm Beach Seaport
CBP officers at Palm Beach Seaport detained a U.S. citizen returning from Nassau, Bahamas, after smelling marijuana, seizing 6.4 grams found in baggage and concealed on the passenger. The marijuana was turned over to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for further action.
Arrested 1Cannabis 6.4 gWoman arrested at Miami airport with 33.6 lb of marijuana in luggage
Eliana Y. Acosta, 30, was arrested at Miami International Airport after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found about 15.26 kilograms of marijuana in 28 vacuum-sealed packages in her checked bag before a flight to Santo Domingo. She faces a cannabis-trafficking charge, and a judge set her bond at $10,000.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 15.26 kgCitizen held three days in Camarillo cannabis farm raid sues ICE and U.S.
George Retes Jr., a U.S. citizen and Iraq veteran who was a security guard at a licensed cannabis farm near Camarillo, sued the United States over his three-day detention during a July 2025 immigration raid there. He says agents tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed him and never charged him; Homeland Security says he was arrested for assault.
Arrested 1481 pounds of weed seized at Philadelphia port bound for UK
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 218 kg (481 pounds) of marijuana near Philadelphia on 6 January 2026 from a container manifested as clothing. The shipment had been sent from Decatur, Georgia, to Oxford, England, and was valued at $2.4 million in the United States.
Cannabis 218 kgDEA and Stafford police seize 1,200 lb from illegal marijuana warehouse
On 27 August 2025 DEA Houston and Stafford police searched 4003 Greenbriar Drive in Stafford, seizing about 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of marijuana from an illegal warehouse and detaining 18 undocumented workers handed to ICE for deportation processing.
Arrested 18Cannabis 544 kgLas Vegas woman charged at Dulles with 59 pounds of Germany-bound marijuana
Airport police at Washington Dulles arrested a 42-year-old Las Vegas woman on August 3, 2025, after U.S. customs officers found 26.88 kilograms of marijuana in two suitcases bound for Frankfurt. She was charged with transporting a controlled substance into Virginia and possession with intent to distribute, both felonies.
Arrested 1Charged 1CBP seizes $185,000 and 1.52 kg of marijuana bound for the Bahamas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Fort Lauderdale seized $185,000 in cash and 1.52 kilograms of marijuana that the agency said was on a vessel headed to the Bahamas. The announcement included no information on where exactly the seizure happened or whether anyone was arrested.
Cannabis 1.52 kgFarmworker dies two days after a 30-foot fall during an ICE raid on a Camarillo cannabis farm
Mexican farmworker Jaime Alanís García died on 12 July 2025, two days after falling about 30 feet from a greenhouse during a federal immigration raid on the licensed Glass House Farms cannabis farm near Camarillo. DHS said he was neither in custody nor pursued; his family filed a federal claim alleging an illegal search and excessive force, and Mexico weighed its own legal action.
Deaths 1CBP finds 3.49 kg of marijuana in an air fryer bound for Bermuda
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Philadelphia found seven vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, 3.49 kilograms, hidden inside an air fryer in a parcel mailed from Ocean County, New Jersey, to Bermuda. CBP valued the load at about $17,000 in the United States and about $150,000 in Bermuda and said its investigation continued.
Cannabis 3.49 kg2,027 lbs of cannabis seized at Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron
CBP officers at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron found 2,027 lbs (about 919 kg) of cannabis in 15 wooden crates inside an inbound food shipment on 20 January 2022. The load, bound for Columbus, Ohio, was pulled for a second inspection after officers referred it.
Cannabis 919.43 kg12,000 lbs of cannabis found in papaya shipment at Otay Mesa
CBP officers at Otay Mesa found more than 12,000 lbs (about 5,443 kg) of marijuana mixed into a papaya shipment on 22 February 2021, valued at about $27 million. The 50-year-old Mexican driver was handed to Homeland Security Investigations and the truck, trailer and drugs were seized.
Arrested 1Cannabis 5.44311 tCBP seizes 2,410 lbs of cannabis at Buffalo's Peace Bridge
CBP officers at Buffalo's Peace Bridge found 2,145 vacuum-sealed packages holding 2,410 lbs of cannabis in a 20-pallet commercial shipment on 15 October 2020, valued at over $8 million; Homeland Security Investigations took over the case.
Cannabis 1.09316 t3,300 lbs of cannabis hidden in peat moss seized at Peace Bridge
CBP officers found 1,517 kg of cannabis hidden between peat moss pallets on a truck at Buffalo's Peace Bridge on 13 June 2020 and arrested driver Gurpreet Singh. Four months later he remained in federal custody after a judge denied his second bid for bail in Canada.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 1.517 tCBP seizes 3,836 lbs of cannabis hidden in lighting shipment at Peace Bridge
CBP officers at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo found 3,836 lbs (about 1,740 kg) of vacuum-sealed cannabis hidden in a commercial shipment declared as lighting equipment on 10 August 2020. The agency valued the load at more than $8 million; no arrests, vehicle details or shipment origin were announced.
Cannabis 1.73998 tRecord 9,472-lb Peace Bridge cannabis seizure ends with charges dropped
CBP officers found 9,472 lbs of cannabis in 8,320 vacuum-sealed packages inside storage containers on a truck at Buffalo's Peace Bridge on 25 June 2020, a northern-border record worth about $20 million. The driver was charged federally, but a judge dismissed the case on 9 July 2020 and he returned to Canada.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 4.29643 t70 pounds of marijuana seized at Miami airport
CBP officers seized more than 70 pounds of marijuana in four outbound cargo shipments at Miami airport in April 2020. The loads from the southeastern U.S., bound for three Caribbean islands, were valued at about $60,000.
Cannabis 32.365 kg1,995 pounds of marijuana found in trailer roof at San Luis
Officers at the Port of San Luis found more than 1,995 pounds of marijuana worth nearly 998,000 dollars hidden in the roof of an empty tractor-trailer on 24 April 2019. A drug dog alerted officers to nearly 170 packages in the ceiling; the 26-year-old driver was arrested and handed to federal investigators.
Arrested 1Cannabis 904.92 kg4,100 pounds of marijuana found in sheet-metal load at Nogales
Officers at the Mariposa crossing in Nogales found more than 4,100 pounds of marijuana worth nearly 2.1 million dollars hidden in a shipment of rolled sheet metal on 20 April 2019. A drug dog alerted officers to about 600 bundles in the load; the driver was arrested and handed to federal investigators.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.85973 tDetroit judge dismisses felony charges against six cannabis-facility workers
Six workers arrested in a May 2018 raid on a Detroit medical cannabis cultivation facility saw their felony charges dismissed on 31 July 2018, when a district judge ruled the operation was covered by its temporary state licence. Police had valued the seized cannabis at about $1 million and reported finding over 1,000 plants.
Arrested 6Charged 6Plants destroyed 1,0007 tons of marijuana found in metal-racks shipment at Otay Mesa
CBP officers found 722 packages holding 14,965 pounds of marijuana hidden in boxes in a trailer declared as metal racks at Otay Mesa on 6 June 2018. The load was valued at about $8.6 million; the driver's visa was cancelled and he was turned over to federal agents.
Arrested 1Cannabis 6.78801 t24 arrested with marijuana, MDMA and cocaine before Holy Ship! cruise
Officers arrested 24 people on drug-possession charges during 6 January 2018 security checks before the Holy Ship! festival cruise at Port Canaveral. Cannabis products seized included THC edibles, weed oil and about 100 grams of weed gummies, alongside cocaine and MDMA.
Arrested 24Cannabis 100 g2,800 pounds of marijuana seized in Easter weekend busts at Lukeville
Customs officers at Arizona's Port of Lukeville arrested four US citizens and seized more than 2,800 pounds (about 1,270 kg) of marijuana worth $1.4 million in two Easter weekend smuggling attempts. A drug dog found 2,600 pounds hidden in a motorhome on the Saturday and 150 pounds in a pickup's bed the next day.
Arrested 4Cannabis 1.27 tFour arrested, 1,010 kg of marijuana seized from boat off Venezuela in CCSF week
U.S. Coast Guard cutter Joseph Napier intercepted a fast boat about 44 nautical miles northeast of Blanquilla, Venezuela, on 23 August 2016, arresting four men from Jamaica and Antigua and seizing 1,010 kilograms of marijuana. In the same week the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force also took 2,386 kilograms of cocaine, with nine arrests in all and an agency estimate of about $60 million.
Arrested 9Cannabis 1.01 t13 charged after panga landed 2,800 lb of marijuana at Arroyo Quemada
Thirteen people were charged in federal court after a Mexican panga landed nearly 3,000 pounds of marijuana at Arroyo Quemada Beach, west of Santa Barbara, early on 30 January 2016. Officers stopped a van in Camarillo and a pick-up in Carpinteria and seized 114 bales weighing more than 2,800 pounds.
Arrested 13Charged 13Cannabis 1.2701 tSix held as 5,050 pounds of marijuana seized off South Andros
Six men were taken into custody after Bahamian police and U.S. agents intercepted a go-fast boat carrying 5,050 pounds (about 2,291 kg) of marijuana in waters off Kemps Bay, South Andros, which the Coast Guard valued at $4.6 million wholesale. Seven men were later charged, and one was sentenced to 26 months in jail after pleading guilty.
Arrested 6Charged 7Cannabis 2.29064 tPrison 26 monthsNogales officers seize 14,900 pounds of marijuana in two days
CBP officers at the Mariposa crossing seized nearly 14,900 pounds of marijuana worth nearly 7.4 million dollars in back-to-back seizures on 10 and 11 March 2015, hidden in pump components and green peppers. Both drivers were arrested and referred to Homeland Security Investigations.
Arrested 2Cannabis 6.75853 t15 tonnes of marijuana found in mattress shipment at Otay Mesa
Customs officers at Otay Mesa found 1,296 packages holding 31,598 pounds of marijuana stacked floor to ceiling in a trailer declared as mattresses and cushions. The 26 February 2015 seizure, worth about $18.96 million, was the largest ever at the crossing; the driver was arrested.
Arrested 1Cannabis 14.33261 t3,370 pounds of marijuana found in Christmas-bow shipment at Otay Mesa
Customs officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility found 3,370 pounds of marijuana in 209 packages hidden in boxes manifested as Christmas bows on 28 August 2014, arresting the truck driver and seizing the drugs, tractor and trailer.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.52861 tFive arrested over nearly 2 tons of marijuana in Whetstone stash house
Federal agents and Sierra Vista police arrested five men and seized nearly two tons of marijuana from a Whetstone stash house and a truck trailer on 11 July 2014. More than 1,200 pounds were found in the trailer and more than 2,600 pounds inside the house.
Arrested 5Cannabis 1.724 tOperation Kruz Control raids Arizona stash houses; 11 arrested
Federal, state and local officers raided stash houses in Phoenix and Willcox on 13 December 2013, arresting 11 of 13 accused Sinaloa-linked traffickers and seizing 1,400 pounds of marijuana in the takedown of a year-long investigation.
Arrested 11Charged 11Cannabis 635 kgCash confiscated USD 200,000CBP finds 3,498 lb of marijuana hidden in plastic pallets at Calexico East
CBP officers at the Calexico East cargo facility found 3,498 pounds of marijuana hidden inside hollowed-out plastic pallets on 13 November 2013, worth about $1.5 million. The 43-year-old Mexican driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, and officers seized the drugs and the tractor-trailer.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.58667 tVehicles confiscated 1Record 20,375-pound marijuana load found in a squash truck at Nogales
Customs officers at the Mariposa crossing in Nogales found 881 bundles weighing 20,375 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tractor-trailer of Mexican squash, then the largest load seized on Arizona's border; the driver was arrested and handed to federal investigators.
Arrested 1Cannabis 9.24194 t17 tons of marijuana seized at Calexico East in record bust
Customs officers seized more than 17 tons of marijuana at the Calexico East cargo facility on 25 July 2013. The agency called it the largest narcotic bust in the history of the Calexico ports of entry.
Record 14,151-pound marijuana load seized at Nogales crossing
CBP officers at the Mariposa cargo facility in Nogales seized 600 bales of marijuana weighing 14,151 pounds from a tractor-trailer on 15 January 2013, then the largest marijuana seizure at an Arizona border crossing.
Arrested 1Cannabis 6.4189 tCoast Guard cutter Aspen seizes 8,500 pounds of marijuana off Los Angeles
The Coast Guard cutter Aspen intercepted a panga-style boat piled with marijuana about 160 miles west of Los Angeles on 25 July 2012, seizing about 8,500 pounds. The bust pushed regional waterborne marijuana seizures to the 50-ton milestone for the fiscal year.
Cannabis 3.8555 t17 held over 500 kg mailed from Arlington to St. Croix
Federal authorities arrested six people in North Texas and 11 in St. Croix over a ring accused of mailing more than 120 parcels holding over 500 kilograms of marijuana from Arlington since 2009. Alleged ringleader Neil Nick Rene, whose sister was killed in a 1994 drug dispute, was among those released on bond.
Arrested 17Cannabis 500 kgRecord 18,665-pound marijuana seizure in Del Rio sector
Border Patrol agents at Carrizo Springs seized two marijuana loads weighing 11,973 and 6,692 pounds within two hours on 3 March 2012. The combined haul, valued at $15 million, was the largest single-day marijuana seizure in Del Rio sector history.
Cannabis 8.4665 t32 tons of marijuana seized in second Otay Mesa tunnel in two weeks
The San Diego Tunnel Task Force found a 612-yard cross-border tunnel between an Otay Mesa warehouse and Tijuana on 29 November 2011, seizing more than 32 tons of marijuana worth nearly $65 million and arresting six suspects, two weeks after a separate 14-ton tunnel seizure nearby.
Arrested 6Cannabis 29.02991 t14 tons of marijuana seized at Highway 86 checkpoint near Salton City
Border Patrol agents found more than 1,100 bundles of marijuana in a tractor-trailer at the Highway 86 checkpoint near Salton City on the night of 29 September 2011, weighing about 28,300 pounds and valued at over $22.6 million. The 35-year-old driver was arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration with the drugs and the truck.
Arrested 1Cannabis 12.837 tCFL player arrested at Michigan border with 1.25 g of marijuana
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Hamilton Tiger-Cats long-snapper Jordan Matechuk at the International Bridge crossing into Michigan on 31 May 2011 and seized 1.25 grams of marijuana along with steroids and syringes. He was arrested and handed to Sault Ste Marie police; no charges were reported.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.25 g11 tons of marijuana seized from rail cars in Chicago Heights
Federal agents seized about 21,800 pounds of marijuana from six rail cars from Mexico at a warehouse in Chicago Heights and arrested seven men in what officials called the area's largest seizure. The load had been found in Texas in November and delivered under surveillance.
Arrested 7Charged 7Cannabis 9.888 tSecond Otay Mesa tunnel yields over 20 tons of cannabis; 8 arrested
US and Mexican officials shut a 2,200-foot rail-fitted tunnel from a Tijuana home to Otay Mesa warehouses, the second major cross-border passage found that month, seizing more than 20 tons of cannabis and arresting three suspects in the US and five in Mexico.
Arrested 8Cannabis 18.1437 t30 tons of cannabis seized in San Diego-Tijuana tunnel bust
Task force agents uncovered a 600-yard crawlspace tunnel between an Otay Mesa warehouse and Tijuana and seized about 30 tons of cannabis worth $20 million on both sides of the border, taking the truck driver and passenger into custody at a Temecula checkpoint.
Arrested 2Cannabis 27.21554 tBorder Patrol seizes a ton of marijuana near Casa Grande
Casa Grande Station agents following off-road tire tracks through the desert seized 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of marijuana in 160 bundles plus three vehicles on 9 September 2010. The load was valued at about $1.6 million.
Cannabis 907 kgTucson Border Patrol seizes 17,600 pounds of marijuana in one week
United States Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector seized more than 17,600 pounds of marijuana worth over $14 million in a single week, including two Ajo Station finds of about 1,600 pounds each, the agency said on 12 February 2010.
Cannabis 7.983 tTwo school buses and vans hid nearly 19,000 pounds of marijuana in Houston
Agents watching a wooded stash site on Martindale Street in southeast Houston arrested two men on 3 March 2007 and seized nearly 19,000 pounds of marijuana from two school buses, rental vans and a pickup.
Arrested 2Cannabis 8.618 t21,947 pounds of marijuana seized from truck in Laredo; driver held
Customs inspectors stopped an 18-wheel truck entering Laredo, Texas, from Nuevo Laredo on 11 July 2003 and seized 21,947 pounds (about 9,955 kg) of marijuana hidden aboard. The driver was arrested on federal drug charges and investigators followed the load to its intended recipients in Ohio.
Arrested 1Cannabis 9.955 t1,900 lb of marijuana seized from fake Border Patrol SUVs in Arizona
Federal agents stopped two SUVs painted with fake Border Patrol markings near Palominas, Arizona, before dawn on 19 February 2003 and seized about 1,900 lb (862 kg) of marijuana. One driver, an undocumented Mexican national, was arrested; the other fled.
Arrested 1Cannabis 862 kg