MASSENA -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Massena Port of Entry seized just over 31 pounds of marijuana and arrested two Canadian women.

CBP officers encountered a vehicle May 8 being driven by a 31-year-old Native American female and occupied by a 35 year-old Native American female passenger, officers said. During the primary inspection, the driver indicated that she was taking her passenger to her mother’s house in New York. CBP officers continued the primary inspection and performed a cursory trunk examination that immediately revealed four large bags of dog food that emanated a strong odor of marijuana. Further inspection of the dog food bags revealed the concealment of approximately 31 pounds of marijuana that had an estimated street value of $60,000.

“Our CBP officers utilized their keen observational analysis skills which led to the discovery of the illicit narcotics,” said Massena Port Director Bob Dwyer. “Through our continued strong partnership with the New York State Police, this driver in possession of narcotics was removed from the streets of our community.”

The driver and passenger were taken into custody and subsequently processed by CBP officers. During CBP processing, officers also discovered a small amount of personal-use marijuana concealed on one female and 1.2 grams of cocaine on the other.

After processing, the narcotics and both women were turned over to New York State Police. The driver faces felony charges of criminal possession of marijuana and her passenger faces felony charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

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