U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) CBP officers working located at CBP’s Otay Mesa commercial facility have seized over $5 million worth methamphetamine concealed and hidden within the watermelon shipment on Friday.
The incident took place the moment CBP officers working at the commercial Otay Mesa Facilities came across an individual driving an industrial tractor-trailer that was seeking admission into America from Mexico. United States from Mexico, carrying a manifested shipment of watermelon. CBP officers immediately referred the driver, his commercial tractor-trailer as well as the cargo it carried to a secondary facility to be examined further.
In the second inspection zone in the secondary inspection area, the watermelon was taken off to the intense dock to be examined further. Following a thorough examination, the officers discovered 1,220 boxes covered in newspaper and disguised as watermelon inside the container. The packages have been tested and found to contain methamphetamine. The overall weight of 4587 lbs. The street value estimated for methamphetamine is more than 5 million dollars.
CBP officers seize the tractor-trailer commercial and the narcotics The driver was handed over to the care Department of Homeland Security Investigations for further investigations.
“I am extremely proud of our staff for their outstanding efforts over the last few months in identifying various and sophisticated smuggling techniques,” stated Rosa E. Hernandez the Port Director of Otay Mesa’s Area Port of Otay Mesa. “As drug cartels continue develop their strategies for smuggling We will keep finding methods to block these harmful illegal drugs from escaping into the country.”
The seizure was the outcome from Operation Apollo, a holistic combat against fentanyl that was launched at the end of October. 26th, 2023 in the southern part of California in the state of California, before being expanded into Arizona on April 10th 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence gathering and partnership that utilize regional CBP field assets, augmented with federal, state tribal, local and territorial partners to increase cooperation, improve resources as well as stop smuggling drug fentanyl to and into the United States.
More information about the program: cbp.gov