DOG SNIFFS OUT 15,185 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA IN TRUCK

OTAY MESA -- The 71/2 tons of marijuana found in a truckload of television
sets Tuesday may be the largest seizure ever at the U.S.-Mexican border,
U.S. Customs Service officials said yesterday.

Inspectors seized 15,185 pounds of marijuana valued at $12.1 million, said
Customs Service spokesman Vince Bond.

The marijuana, bundled into 1,977 packages, was found layered on top of 214
boxed TV sets in a semitrailer truck trying to cross the border Tuesday
evening, Bond said.

Inspectors sent the truck into an inspection area, where a drug-sniffing
dog reacted to the load, Bond said. A gamma-ray imaging system revealed
suspicious packages in the truck, which was then unloaded.

"We believe this is the largest single seizure of marijuana ever at a port
of entry on the Southwest border," said Jay Ahern, acting director of field
operations for the Customs Service in San Diego.

Jose Gurrola Olivas, 22, of Tijuana, driver of the 53-foot tractor-trailer
rig, was booked into federal jail.

Bond said the amount of marijuana seized from commercial trucks at the Otay
Mesa border crossing since the fiscal year began in October 2000 now totals
50,742 pounds.