PORT HURON, Mich. (FOX 2) - Right now because of the pandemic there is less traffic crossing the Blue Water Bridge connecting Canada to Port Huron.
But customs and border protection officers say COVID-19 isn't slowing down drug traffickers. Sunday night US Customs and Border Protection Officials discovered trash bags full of marijuana stacked in a garbage truck from floor to ceiling.
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Customs and Border Protection officers in Michigan make 1,000 lb pot bust
Sunday night border patrol officials discovered trash bags full of marijuana stacked in a garbage truck from floor to ceiling.
"It's pretty crazy right you can see behind us they are doing exams right now and most are negative, but occasionally you do get one like that," said Canadian Border Patrol Watch Cmdr. Geoffrey Stoffel.
Stoffel says the officer who initially spoke to the driver at the Canadian border had a hunch something wasn't right. the driver told the officer he was bringing trash to a landfill in New Boston.
So the officer sent the truck to get X-Rayed- and when they opened the back door they found more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana.
"Although weed is legal in Michigan it's still illegal at the federal level and even in Michigan, though there are certain amounts you can and cannot bring. Obviously, 1,000 pounds is beyond the legal limit in Michigan," Stoffel said.
Officers say this year the amount of illegal marijuana they've discovered at ports across the state has skyrocketed. In the fiscal year 2020, they seized more than 9,000 pounds compared to the fiscal year 2019 where they seized just under 500 pounds.
"As the borders have closed to nonessential traffic you see more traffic coming across related to commercial traffic so there's less traffic coming across so i think it's harder for them to get their stuff through," said Stoffel.
Now while there may be less traffic coming across the Blue Water Bridge, CBP officers say they are still working hard to stop illegal drugs like this from getting into Michigan.
"Some people think the border is shut down - it's not - we are still open for commercial traffic," he said. "We are still here doing our job finding things like this it's something we do every day."
The investigation into the driver is still underway.