$5M in meth disguised as watermelon shipment seized at California border: ‘Shady situation’ – DNyuz

This smuggling operation has died a silent death.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have seized more than $5 million worth of meth disguised as a shipment of watermelons in what the federal agency has called a “shady situation.”

CBP agents conducted the raid Friday at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego, when they arrested a 29-year-old man who was transporting a truckload of fruit from Mexico to the U.S.

When authorities pulled over the truck for a second inspection, they discovered 1,220 packages of what was later determined to be meth, wrapped and wrapped in watermelon-colored paper, CBP said.

In total, the packages weighed 2,130 kilos and had an estimated street value of over $5 million.

CBP agents seized the drugs and the truck, and the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation, CBP said.

“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director of the Port of Otay Mesa.

“As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country,” she added.

Officials said the arrest was part of Operation Apollo, a large-scale CBP effort to combat fentanyl smuggling that began in Southern California in October and has since expanded to Arizona.

The post $5M Meth Disguised As Watermelon Seized At California Border: ‘Murky Situation’ appeared first on New York Post.