Otay Mesa, California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility discovered a massive stash of methamphetamine cleverly concealed within a carrot shipment. The interception occurred on Sunday when a 44-year-old man, driving a commercial tractor trailer and holding a valid border crossing card, arrived with the cargo declared as carrots. Suspecting foul play, the officers decided to conduct a more in-depth check.
During the secondary inspection, the team unloaded the carrot shipment for a detailed examination and found suspicious packages hidden beneath the vegetable crates. These packages, upon testing, were confirmed to contain methamphetamine. A total of 574 packages were uncovered, weighing around 2,900 pounds, with the meth’s street value estimated to be in the millions.
Rosa E. Hernandez, the Port Director at Otay Mesa, expressed her pride in the officers’ diligent work, highlighting their commitment to preventing drug trafficking while ensuring smooth legal trade and travel. The driver was detained and handed over to Homeland Security Investigations for further probe, and both the narcotics and the vehicle were seized by the CBP.
This significant bust is part of Operation Apollo, a collaborative effort involving federal, state, and local agencies aimed at combating the surge of fentanyl and other illegal synthetic narcotics.–Web Desk