About 260 pounds of marijuana held in a metal cage were air-dropped near Brown Field and found by federal agents. — Courtesy of Customs and Border Protection
OTAY MESA — Border agents swooped in to Otay Mesa early Monday and arrested two men about to retrieve more than 260 pounds of marijuana dropped from an ultralight aircraft, authorities said.
The air and marine arm of Customs and Border Protection tracked the ultralight crossing into the United States from Mexico about 4:15 a.m., Border Patrol spokeswoman Mary Beth Caston said.
The agency sent a helicopter, whose crew directed Border Patrol agents to a remote drop location north of Brown Field airport, Caston said.
Agents found a metal cage filled with 10 bundles of marijuana that weighed a total of 262 pounds and is valued at about $157,000. Caston said the cage was used to hold the marijuana to the bottom of the ultralight.
Arrested near the drop zone were a 32-year-old unauthorized immigrant and a 49-year-old legal permanent U.S. resident, both from Mexico. Agents also seized a Ford Expedition parked nearby.
Caston said the ultralight didn’t land, and was tracked returning to Mexico.
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