A California truck driver has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison for hauling nearly nine tonnes of marijuana smuggled through a tunnel between the US and Mexico.
Twenty-eight-year-old Carlos Cunningham of Oceanside apologised on Monday for his involvement in one of the largest marijuana busts in US history.
He acknowledged carrying 8800kg of marijuana in his trailer when he was arrested on November 2 at a weigh station southeast of Los Angeles.
US District Judge Larry Burns said the amount was "enough to fill a house".
US authorities later seized nearly 15 tonnes in a San Diego warehouse where the tunnel ended. Mexican authorities reported seizing nearly five tonnes on the Mexican side of the tunnel, bringing the total haul to nearly 30 tonnes.
