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177 Pounds of Pot Seized at San Onofre

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Federal agents seized 177 pounds of marijuana in two apparently unrelated incidents Tuesday at the San Onofre immigration checkpoint just south of here.

Both drivers were arrested and turned over to a San Diego County narcotics task force, Border Patrol spokesman Steve Kean said. Their names were not released pending investigation.

In the first seizure, a 24-year-old Los Angeles man drove a 1974 Chevrolet Camaro up to the checkpoint about 9 a.m. and appeared nervous, officers said. He was directed to the secondary inspection area, where a Border Patrol dog found 33 pounds of marijuana in the car’s trunk.

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The 15 packages of the drug were wrapped in foil and plastic, Kean said.

About 4:30 p.m., a 25-year-old Manhattan Beach man approached the Immigration and Naturalization Service checkpoint with the back of his 1986 Oldsmobile riding low, Kean said.

Agents found 144 pounds of marijuana in that car’s trunk, he said.

Authorities said the marijuana seized has a total street value of about $294,000.

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