U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility on Sunday discovered 614 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of green onions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility on Sunday discovered 614 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of green onions. On July 19, at approximately 12:30 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 31-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a tractor pulling a trailer with a shipment manifested as “mint leaves and other spices”. The CBP officer referred the driver along with the tractor and trailer to the X-ray imaging system.
During the X-ray exam, CBP officers identified anomalies within the shipment and sent the truck/trailer to the dock for a more intensive examination. A CBP canine team screened the conveyance and the detector dog alerted to the shipment.
CBP officers extracted 40 wrapped packages of methamphetamine co-mingled with the green onions. CBP officers probed the boxes and discovered a crystal like substance that field-tested positive for the properties of methamphetamine. CBP officers extracted 40 wrapped packages of methamphetamine co-mingled with the green onions.
The driver was turn over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing. The seized methamphetamine has an estimated street value of $1.4 million. CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer and narcotics.
CBP officers at the border crossing in Southern California routinely stop illegal activity, while processing millions of legitimate travelers into the United States.