U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in California uncovered more than 1,400 sachets of methamphetamine worth more than $18 million inside a shipment of squash, according to officials.
The discovery occurred early Monday morning at approximately 6:47 a.m. when CBP officers working at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California came across a 44-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment of squash, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
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CBP officers referred the driver, who holds a valid border crossing card, along with the tractor-trailer and shipment for further examination. In the secondary phase, CBP officers performed a thorough scan of the tractor trailer using non-intrusive scanning equipment. After an assessment, incCBP authorities discovered inconsistencies after an assessment, prompting them to request a human and narcotics-detecting canine. d, alerting officers to the presence of narcotics.
CBP agents discovered 1,419 sachets of methamphetamine disguised within the shipment of squash, totaling 11,469 pounds—an estimated street value of $18,350,400, according to CBP.
“Our officers’ devotion to duty, excellence, and national security is absolutely admirable. These statistics demonstrate an excellent level of efficacy in combating illegal narcotics importation,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, Otay Mesa Area Port Director. “Their exceptional efforts truly embody the highest standards of service.”
CBP authorities seized the drugs, commercial tractor, and trailer. Homeland Security Investigation arrested the driver and took him into custody for further investigation.
According to CBP, these seizures are the product of Operation Apollo, a “holistic counter-fentanyl effort” that began on October 26, 2023, in southern California and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. “Operation Apollo focuses on information gathering and partnerships, and it leverages local CBP field assets supplemented by federal, state, municipal, tribal, and territorial partners to expand resources, collaborate, and target fentanyl smuggling into the United States.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 150 people die each day from drug overdoses caused by synthetic opioids produced from fentanyl.
“Our officers’ dedication to duty, excellence, and national security is truly admirable,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, Otay Mesa Area Port Director.
