Travel Alert: Unsuspeting Drivers Used to Smuggle Drugs Across Border Fox 5 San Diego
go to original June 7, 2012

Drug smugglers are accused of gluing magnets to large packs of marijuana, then sticking them under random vehicles, hoping drivers will unknowingly drive them from Tijuana into Southern California, authorities say.

Commuters using the SENTRI lane to travel from Tijuana into San Diego are being targeted, Tijuana police said.

Tijuana police spokesman Ernesto Alvarado said the first incident they investigated happened three months ago. Two women headed to San Ysidro were detained before crossing the border after Mexican authorities found one pack of marijuana under their vehicle, he said.

Since then, investigators said they’ve seen eight similar cases.  A recent case found 15 packs of marijuana underneath a pickup truck.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they’re aware of the situation, but insisted that there’s little they can do.

“The burden is on you,” said San Diego attorney Dorinna Hirsch, who crossed the border at least once a week. “It is your responsibility, it’s your car.”

It's up to each driver to watch their back and over their vehicle, she said.  The driver could end up facing criminal charges.

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