The manifest of a truck travelling into the U.S. from Canada was a little light on details, opting not to list the 1,114 pounds (505 kg) of weed the vehicle had onboard.

Despite the “oversight”, staff with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) examined the vehicle and managed to find the cannabis contained in vacuum-sealed packages hidden in cardboard boxes and loaded onto wooden pallets within the truck.

The find occurred after a commercial truck, bearing Ontario licence plates and manifested as carrying office furniture, crossed the Blue Water Bridge, which runs from Sarnia, Ont. to Port Huron, Mich. on Aug. 17. The vehicle was destined for various locations within the state, according to CBP.

“Even during a pandemic, traffickers continue to attempt to exploit our borders and will stop at nothing to try and introduce illicit drugs into our communities,” port director Michael Fox says in a statement.

The CBP’s Detroit Field Office, which covers all ports of entry throughout Michigan, has witnessed a spike in narcotics seized since coronavirus-related essential travel restrictions were instituted in March.

Since then, the office has seized more than 4,400 pounds (1,996 kg) of weed at different ports of entry in the state.

After the vehicle was X-rayed, the 418 pound weed stash was found concealed rear of the hauler. / Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

One such seizure occurred in June, when 418 pounds (190 kg) of cannabis was found hidden in a trash hauler driven by a Canadian citizen. After the vehicle was X-rayed, the stash was discovered concealed in the rear of the hauler.

Other areas along the Canada/U.S. border have witnessed similar increases in drug seizures since the border was closed.

For example, CBP’s Buffalo Field Office, which covers 16 ports of entry throughout New York state, seized 8,576 pounds (3,890 kg) of cannabis between Mar. 21 and June 14 of this year. In July, narcotic seizures totalled 3,425 pounds (1,555 kg), the lion’s share of which was weed.