2,500 Cuban Cigars Seized at Checkpoint
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Border Patrol agents at an Interstate 5 checkpoint Wednesday seized 2,500 Cuban cigars they say a Laguna Niguel man bought in Mexico and planned to sell in the United States.
One hundred cases of the cigars--valued at $40,000--were found in the cab of a pickup truck at the checkpoint.
The cigars were confiscated after an agent spotted several boxes behind the passenger seat. A search revealed the other boxes hidden behind the back seat and inside the door panels.
The Border Patrol did not release the names of the driver, a 29-year-old, or his two passengers. All three U.S. citizens were questioned and released. The Border Patrol said charges were unlikely.
On Monday, agents found 390 cases of cigarette cartons in the baggage compartment of a Greyhound bus. The cartons, which were being shipped from Tijuana to Los Angeles, didn’t have the required state labels. The cigarettes were valued at $7,800.
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