More than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine was found hidden inside separate shipments of celery and watermelon aboard trucks at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials reported this week.
An Aug. 9 seizure happened after a commercial tractor-trailer driver sought to cross into the United States from Mexico but was directed to secondary inspection.
After a drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the celery shipment on the truck, CBP officers found 508 packages concealed among the vegetables, which contained 630 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $755,000, according to CBP.
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 discovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within a shipment, officials said. Authorities said they found some 4,500 pounds of meth in all, worth approximately $5 million.
The narcotics and the truck were seized, and the 29-year-old driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations.
“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 Hernandez, port director for Otay Mesa. “As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country.”
CBP officials said the seizures were part of Operation Apollo, a multi-agency law enforcement operation largely targeting the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.
