Federal customs officers working at a border crossing between California and the Mexican city of Tijuana seized 3,000 pounds of meth from a commercial truck, making it the second-largest bust in history on the United States-Mexico border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped a commercial truck at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry near San Diego, California, on Oct. 9 after receiving a tip from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency said in an announcement Sunday evening.
The truck was sent from the checkpoint booth to a drive-through X-ray machine and then submitted to a canine inspection. In addition to 3,000 pounds of meth, officials seized 120 pounds of fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills, and heroin from inside the trailer.
The drugs seized were concealed in 1,800 packages hidden among other boxes and were estimated to be worth $7.2 million.
Meth seizures at border crossings and CBP field offices nationwide have more than doubled in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2020 compared to all of 2019. As of August, more than 140,000 pounds of meth have been discovered. Last year, only 69,000 pounds were discovered.
“Smugglers will try every way possible to try and get their product across the border, and because of the partnership between CBP, Homeland Security investigations, and DEA, this significant seizure occurred, and we stopped them,” said Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego.
The driver, a 47-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested and will face criminal charges. The truck’s manifest — the document given to port of entry officials that states what a truck is carrying — claimed to have medical supplies on board.
“This massive seizure is testament of what law enforcement agencies can do when we combine forces — prevent over $7 million worth of deadly drugs from entering our country; thus saving countless lives from addiction and overdose deaths,” said John Callery, DEA special agent in charge, in a statement.
