It wasnât exactly Peter Piperâs peck of pickled peppers, but a shipment of what border agents deemed to be funky pickles got the shippers in a peck of trouble.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility smelled something off, decided to investigate a tractor-trailer load of cucumber pickles, and discovered more than 200 pounds of alleged methamphetamine worth $4.3 million, the agency announced last week.
The 114 packages were being smuggled into the U.S. in a commercial shipment of fresh produce, CBP said.
The contraband was found after agents conducted a ânonintrusive imaging system inspection,â in which packages or shipments are subject to X-ray or Gamma-ray imaging, CBP explained. They found the 217 pounds concealed within the trailer, the agency said.