Officials Accuse 'Disabled' Man, 19, Of Using Wheelchair To Smuggle Pot
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old man pretending to be disabled was caught at the U.S.-Mexico border with five pounds of marijuana hidden under the seat of his wheelchair.
Border officers at the San Ysidro port of entry say Donte Jonae Damas crossed into the United States in a wheelchair last Monday, looking nervous. After a search, agents discovered three packages of marijuana under the seat.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the wheelchair and drugs and turned Damas over to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents.
ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack says the suspect admitted he wasn't disabled and that he used the wheelchair "as a ploy to smuggle the drugs."
Damas is being held at the San Diego County Jail on $35,000 bail. His next court appearance is April 11.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
