Officials identify Newcastle man arrested in Blaine marijuana bust

ZOE FRALEY - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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BLAINE - Officials have identified the man arrested in connection with nearly 70 pounds of marijuana Saturday, June 20, as Kit Van Wong of Newcastle, Wash.

Wong was arrested in Blaine on suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to distribute, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

At about 4:50 a.m. Saturday, a Border Patrol agent saw people running back and forth to a tan Toyota parked along H Street in an area often used to smuggle drugs, according to court documents.

The agent pulled over the car, driven by Wong, near the intersection of Interstate 5 and Birch Bay-Lynden Road. When ordered, Wong popped the trunk but then drove off as the officer spotted a duffle bag in it, according to the documents.

Wong was soon found and arrested after driving down a long private drive. The agents followed footprints from the car to find the duffel bag full of marijuana, worth an estimated $324,000, according to the documents.

Wong, the car and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is still investigating the case.