We know automakers are removing spare tires from lots of new vehicles. However when Sterling Mestad popped the trunk on his 2017 Ford Fusion, little did he understand cops would find $320,000 worth of smuggled marijuana stashed under the carpet.
A recent report by the Minnesota-based website Alpha News stated authorities have seized 1100 pounds of cannabis concealed in the spare-tire wells of a minimum of 22 Ford Fusion sedans coming from Mexico, among which went home with 86-year-old Mestad in February. A truck driver carrying a few of the cars tipped off the Saint Paul cops department, which located 15 drug-filled automobiles– most of which were already at area dealerships, and all having been loaded off the same train vehicle from Mexico.
One month later, in March, police in Dilworth, Minnesota, found another 7 automobiles (including a Lincoln MKZ) with cannabis loaded precisely the same way– covered with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and coffee grounds to resemble spare tires.
Authorities stated that prior these automobiles left Ford’s Hermosillo, Mexico, plant, someone boarded the train to pack the drugs and dispose of the spare tires. Then, somewhere past the train’s Arizona-Sonora border crossing, smugglers boarded once again to recover the delivery. In these cases, cops and federal firms have not apprehended any suspects. Ford has stated it is aware of the investigation, which Alpha News cites as being linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel, once headed by the infamous El Chapo. Ford’s plant is within the cartel-managed area, and the cartel also has ties in Minnesota.
The Associated Press reported that in May 2015, the Mexican military seized 430 pounds of marijuana concealed in the spare-tire wells of 14 unnamed vehicles on the very same railway.
All this is to state, ensure your dealer– your Ford dealership, that is– in fact completes the pre-delivery examination. Although having a stash of cannabis instead of a spare tire in the trunk might a minimum of make the wait for a tow truck more intriguing.
