Authorities seize 15 tons of marijuana on US-Mexico border in near-record pot bust

SAN DIEGO – Federal authorities have seized more than 15 tons of marijuana in a near-record bust at a border crossing in Southern California.

The Los Angeles Times reports Saturday (http://lat.ms/1AUTAV1 ) that more than 1,200 packages of marijuana valued at nearly $19 million were seized this week from a truck-trailer carrying mattresses and cushions at the Otay Mesa border crossing.

Authorities arrested the truck's 46-year-old driver and seized the vehicle late Thursday.

The newspaper says the seizure was the second-largest in a single incident at a U.S. border crossing, trailing a more than 35,000-pound bust in 2013.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/