U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized large quantities of methamphetamine this month alone at just one cargo facility located in Otay Mesa, California. Law enforcement officials warn that this month’s thousands of pounds of meth were smuggled in none other than vegetables.
A shipment of peppers and tomatillos being driven by a 27-year-old male with a valid border crossing card driving a commercial tractor-trailer was stopped by CBP officers, reports The Center Square:
At first glance, the shipment appeared to contain only peppers and tomatillos. But after a K-9 unit screened it, officers examined the trailer and found a box containing a crystal-like substance. Additional officers were radioed to provide assistance and began extracting package after package hidden under the produce. They found 3,594 packages that were tested and identified as methamphetamine. The stash totaled 3,671.58 pounds.
At the same facility and in the same week CBP officers uncovered another massive load of meth being smuggled inside a shipment of carrots. The Center Square reports:
They stopped a 44-year-old man, also a valid border crossing card holder, driving a commercial tractor trailer hauling a shipment manifested as carrots. Officers unloaded the cases of carrots and found suspicious packages hidden underneath, which were tested and identified as methamphetamine. Overall, they seized 574 packages weighing approximately 2,900 pounds.
In both instances, the meth and commercial tractor-trailers were seized; the drivers were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.
The Center Square writes that Mexican cartels for decades have devised creative ways to smuggle drugs and people into the U.S., including “task saturation” and “migrant warfare,” according to authorities. Surging resources in one area to leave the border open in another area enables cartel operatives and gangs they work with to commit a range of crimes. Another tactic is hiding people and drugs in trucks, including behind or under produce, to bring through ports of entry.
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Author: Sara Carter Staff
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