CBP seizes $2.5M worth of meth hidden in watermelon shipment
CBP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility discovered more than 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine hidden within a shipment of watermelons.
and last updated 2021-05-22 19:23:54-04
OTAY MESA, Calif. (KGTV) A trailer carrying a shipment of watermelons through a checkpoint in Otay Mesa wasnât just hauling fruit â there was $2.5 million worth of methamphetamine mixed in with the watermelons, officials confirmed.
At about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Otay Mesa commercial facility inspected a tractor pulling a trailer âwith a shipment manifested as watermelons.â
Print
Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $2.5 million in a shipment of watermelons earlier this week, the agency said Saturday.
A driver arrived at the Otay Mesa commercial import inspection facility on Tuesday in a truck hitched to a tractor-trailer that, according to the manifest, was filled with watermelons. But an inspection by officers and drug-sniffing dogs uncovered among the fruit nearly 200 plastic containers packed with 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine, authorities said.
Officers arrested the driver, a 47-year-old Mexican national, on allegations of attempted drug smuggling.
“We don’t frequently see seizures of this size, but they are certainly a risk in the cargo environment,” said Anne Maricich, acting director of CBP field operations in San Diego.
Print
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry seized more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $2.5 million in a shipment of watermelons last week, authorities said.
The driver in a truck hitched to a tractor-trailer hauling watermelons arrived at the commercial import inspection facility on Tuesday, according to the manifest.
But an inspection by officers and drug-sniffing dogs uncovered among the fruit nearly 200 plastic containers packed with 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine, authorities said.
Officers arrested the driver, a 47-year-old Mexican national, on allegations of attempted drug smuggling.
Advertisement
Seizures of this size “are certainly a risk in the cargo environment,” said Anne Maricich, acting director of CBP field operations in San Diego.
U S Customs officers seize more than a ton of methamphetamine kyma.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kyma.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
City News Service
Nearly 2,500 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of medical supplies was seized in Otay Mesa this weekend, border officials said Tuesday.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the drugs, contained in 120 packages concealed amid medical supplies, were onboard a tractor trailer that entered the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility at around 9:45 a.m. Saturday.
After anomalies were discovered during an X-ray screening of the truck, a further inspection revealed the hidden meth when CBP officers used a canine to inspect the cargo, according to CBP.
The packages, weighing approximately 2,425 pounds, are worth an estimated $5.5 million, border officials said.