Originally Posted on USA Today
PHOENIX — Rather than the dead inside a hearse, Border Patrol agents found marijuana inside a closed casket over the weekend, officials said.
Willcox Border Patrol agents stopped a hearse near Tombstone and found 67 pounds of marijuana inside a casket, according to officials. The marijuana had been covered with manure to mask the smell.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of narcotics and contraband smuggling, and seized the drugs, according to a statement.
Agents called in a canine unit and searched the hearse after noticing inconsistencies in the man’s story to officials.
The bricks of marijuana are estimated to be worth more than $33,000, Border Patrol agents said.
