Drug discovery worth millions: US Customs exposes fake melons as meth smugglers

A drug discovery worth billions
US Customs exposes fake melons as smuggling meth

August 21, 2024, 11:46 am

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At the border crossing from Mexico to San Diego, U.S. Customs officials observed a truck distributing watermelons. On closer inspection, they discover that the melons are just a camouflage. A mattress worth millions of dollars is hidden inside. This is not the first case of vegetable smuggling that has been exposed.

At the border with Mexico, US customs officers discovered a shipment of vegetables as drug smuggling. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of alleged watermelons during a cargo inspection at the Otay Mesa border in San Diego, California, USA. CBP die declared.

On Friday, customs officials spotted the 29-year-old truck driver at the border crossing in Otay Mesa. The man wanted to transport a shipment that was declared to be exporting watermelons from Mexico to the United States. According to the CBP, the materials should be examined more closely after the initial inspection. To do this, the border guards instructed the truck driver to drive to the second checkpoint.

When officers unloaded the items from the truck, they noticed they were not real watermelons. They found 1,220 packages wrapped in paper disguised as watermelons. Inside, customs officials found 4,587 pounds (about two tons) of methamphetamine. CBP estimates the street value of the drugs to be more than $5 million. Officers confiscated the drugs. The truck driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further questioning.

The watermelon discovery was not an isolated case. A week ago, border crossing agents in Otay Mesa seized a shipment of celery. 629 pounds (about 285 kilograms) of methamphetamine were hidden in the vegetable stalks. CBP announced. CBP estimated the street value of this quantity of drugs to be approximately $755,000.

According to a CBP release, Rosa E. Hernandez, director of the Otay Mesa border agency, said the “sophisticated and varied smuggling methods” discovered by Border Patrol agents are “great work.” “As drug trafficking strategies continue to evolve, we will continue to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country,” he continued.

For months now, US border officials in California and Arizona have been trying to crack down on drug trafficking from Mexico. Officials called Operation Apollo It is intended to prevent the transportation of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the United States.