1,200 pounds of marijuana found in produce cans

Courtesy photo

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

GALLUP — If Popeye was a pothead he’d take special interest in cargo confiscated at the port of entry Friday: 1,200 pounds of marijuana stuffed in spinach cans.

N.M. Motor Transportation Police stationed at the Arizona/New Mexico Port of Entry on Interstate Highway 40 west of Gallup discovered the marijuana when the purported weight of four pallets failed to match the actual weight, according to a news release issued Tuesday by Department of Public Safety Communications Director Peter Olson.

The trailer was otherwise loaded legally with fresh produce, according to Olson. Police turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration the roughly $1.5 million worth of marijuana, and the truck driver, Denny Brady, 50, of Frostproof, Fla.

Police inspecting Brady’s cargo noticed that some cans lacked labels, prompting them to weigh the cans, which led to the discovery of the cans’ actual contents, Olson said.

Friday’s bust comes on the heels of two port of entry busts made by N.M. Motor Transportation Police in February, during which police confiscated about 371 pounds of marijuana and 164 pounds of cocaine — together valued at about $5 million.

Reporter Phil Stake can be reached at philip.stake@gmail.com, or by calling (505) 863-6811 x223.