Meth found in shipments of fruits and vegetables at San Diego border

More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine were found in separate shipments of celery and watermelon aboard trucks at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said this week.

On August 9, a truck driver was impounded after attempting to enter the United States from Mexico but was referred for a secondary inspection.

After a drug-sniffing dog alerted agents to the truck’s cargo of celery, CBP officers found 508 packages hidden among the vegetables, containing 640 pounds of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $755,000, CBP said.

The narcotics and the truck were seized, while the 34-year-old driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

A second seizure on Friday followed a similar inspection process and found 1,220 packages wrapped in paper and disguised as watermelons in one shipment, officials said. Authorities said they found about 4,500 pounds of meth in total, worth about $5 million.

The narcotics and the truck were seized and the 29-year-old driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

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

According to CBP officials, the seizures were part of Operation Apollo, a multi-agency operation involving law enforcement agencies that focused primarily on the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.

Originally published: August 20, 2024 at 12:29 pm