More than $5 million worth of meth disguised as watermelons seized in California truck

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently seized more than two tons of illegal drugs disguised as products from a truck at a border crossing.

The drug seizure occurred on August 16 at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in Otay Mesa, California.

Officials say a 29-year-old man transporting a shipment of watermelons approached the facility to enter the U.S. from Mexico.

The truck was referred for a second inspection.

“In the secondary inspection area, the watermelon shipment was unloaded to the intensive dock for further examination. After careful inspection, agents discovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within the shipment. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, weighing a total of 4,587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs is over $5 million dollars,” CBP said.

The drugs and the truck were seized by the CBP.

The truck 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 E. Hernandez, Port Director for 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.”