Calexico, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Calexico Station arrested three men yesterday after discovering 210 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle.

Shortly after 11 p.m., Border Patrol agents observed a silver 2004 Nissan Frontier pickup heading west towards Interstate 8 without its headlights on.  As the vehicle approached the freeway, agents conducted a vehicle stop.

Agents approached the Frontier and noticed eight large bundles they suspected to contain drugs stored in the pickup’s bed.  Agents also observed a 31-year-old man laying down in an attempt to avoid detection.  The bundles were extracted from the pickup and field-tested positive as marijuana.

The marijuana weighed 210 pounds with an estimated street value of $84,000.

The driver of the pickup, a 23-year-old, and his 24-year-old passenger, both U.S. citizens, were arrested.  The men, marijuana, and their vehicle were turned over to the Imperial County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force for further investigation.

The man in the bed of the pickup was determined to be a Mexican national without legal documentation to enter or reside in the United States.  He was taken into Border Patrol custody and will be processed for his illegal entry into the United States.

Last fiscal year, El Centro Sector seized more than 5,700 pounds of marijuana.