Authorities knew something didn't smell right, and it wasn't the cows.
A B.C. man who tried to smuggle more than 1,700 pounds of marijuana into the U.S. in the floor of a cattle trailer was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in prison in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Edwin R. Fuller, 40, of Cloverdale, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
At Thursday's hearing, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly told Fuller, "When you are paid $20,000 to drive across the border, you know there are drugs in there. ... This is a serious crime and there are serious consequences."
In February, Fuller arrived at the Sumas Port of Entry driving a tractor that was towing a trailer with about two dozen cattle, authorities said. Customs and Border Protection inspectors noticed that the floor of the trailer didn't look quite right. A further inspection revealed 1,746 pounds of marijuana.
U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Emily Langlie told ctvbc.ca Thursday that others have tried to smuggle marijuana inside drums of frozen strawberries - and, once, underneath cages holding live bears.
