Border Patrol Foils Trio of Pot Plots

Nervous car and boat drivers led U.S. Border Patrol agents to uncover smuggled marijuana worth an estimated $317,595 over the last week, officials said.

Here's a rundown on the three busts:

• On Friday around 3:30 a.m., agents spotted a boat with two men aboard in Mission Bay. After the boat docked, agents questioned the men and became suspicious when they appeared overly nervous. After the agents received permission from the men, ages 55 and 45, to search the vessel, they uncovered 22 bundles of marijuana inside several compartments. The marijuana weighed 463 pounds and had an estimated street value of $231,450.

• On Monday at about 1:30 p.m., agents encountered a 30-year-old man driving a gray 2002 Audi A4 at the Interstate 5 checkpoint near San Clemente. During an inspection, agents became suspicious of the man’s nervous demeanor and ordered a secondary inspection. A Border Patrol K-9 detected a suspicious odor, leading agents to search the vehicle and find several bundles of marijuana inside the trunk. Total seizure: 63 pounds with an estimated street value of $31,635.

• On Wednesday, shortly before 6 p.m., agents stopped a 49-year-old man driving a gold 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer at the San Clemente I-5 checkpoint. Once again, nervous behavior raised suspicions and agents asked for permission to search the vehicle. Based on K-9 sniffing, agents discovered 15 bundles of marijuana inside the spare tire and 36 bundles inside the gas tank. The seized pot weighed 109 pounds and had an estimated street value of $54,510.

The suspected smugglers and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security.