WOODHAVEN, Mich. — The drug pipeline from Mexico to various cities in the United States continues to flow freely as more cases of marijuana found in Ford vehicles shipped via freight train from a Ford plant in Mexico turn up.
In an exclusive investigative report, Alpha News detailed the shipments of thousands of pounds of marijuana found in 22 Ford Fusions manufactured in Mexico.
The drugs were found in the spare tire wells of the Ford cars – each carrying approximately 40 to 60 pounds of marijuana.
The drugs found in Minnesota had a street value of $1.4 million.
The case of drugs found in the tire wells of Ford-made cars has occurred in states all around the country.
Earlier in July, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, 15 new Fords made in Mexico carried more than 400 pounds of marijuana according to ABC13.
In Minnesota, St. Paul Police found the drugs in cars at a train yard and at dealerships around the state. Similarly, authorities found the drug-ladened cars at a rail yard in Ohio, and in cars already sent to dealerships in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
On Friday, USA Today reported that authorities found 277 pounds of marijuana in Ford cars shipped from the same plant in Mexico to Detroit.
Alpha News tracked the cars back to the company’s plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, a territory controlled by the Sinaloa drug cartel – once ran by Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, who goes by the nickname El Chapo.
The drug kingpin has been sitting in U.S. Federal jail since being extradited to the states in January. He currently faces a 17-count indictment. The reach of the Sinaloa Cartel includes cities such as Chicago, Miami, and New York City.
Ford Motor Company issued a statement following the latest drug-related sting involving a new Ford vehicle:
“We are taking this very seriously. We are working closely with a number of law enforcement agencies on this investigation, including the FBI, Customs, Department of Homeland Security and local police. We cannot comment further as this is an active investigation.”
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.