On May 22, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized over 400 pounds of cocaine concealed within the fuel tanks of a tractor-trailer.
At around 9:00 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 35-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer with an empty trailer, applying for entry from Mexico. The driver, who held a valid border crossing card, was referred for further inspection. During the secondary inspection, a CBP canine unit alerted officers to examine the vehicle’s fuel tanks.
Upon closer inspection, officers discovered packages hidden in a non-factory compartment inside both fuel tanks. The packages, totaling 160 and weighing 412.26 pounds, tested positive for cocaine.
The narcotics and the commercial tractor-trailer were seized, and the driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation. This seizure was part of Operation Apollo, a comprehensive counter-fentanyl initiative that began in southern California in October 2023 and expanded to Arizona in April 2024.
Port Director Rosa E. Hernandez praised the success of the canine teams and emphasized the ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking through targeted operations and intelligence collaboration.–News Desk