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One of the many duties border patrol agents are tasked with is thwarting drug smugglers who have a tendency to get creative when it comes to disguising their shipments—as evidenced by a massive bust involving thousands of pounds of meth disguised as watermelons.
Anyone who’s watched Breaking Bad knows that the nature of meth production means it’s much easier to produce domestically compared to drugs like cocaine and heroin, which require the use of plants that only grow in certain regions of the world and subsequently necessitate a more involved distribution process.
With that said, anyone who’s watched Breaking Bad also knows Mexican cartels still rely on meth to be a prominent part of their drug smuggling portfolio, and the men and women working the frontlines for U.S. Customs and Border Protection routinely highlight that reality with the many seizures they’re responsible for.
Earlier this month, agents at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California seized more than $750,000 worth of meth that was smuggled in a shipment of celery, but they really managed to outdo themselves thanks to the bust that unfolded over the weekend.
According to a press release issued by the CPB, border patrol agents at the same screening station decided to take a closer look at the contents of a tractor-trailer that was purportedly hauling a load of watermelons from Mexico into the United States last Friday.
After inspecting the shipment, the agents discovered “1,220 packages wrapped in paper disguised as watermelon” before testing the contents and confirming the fake fruit was being used to smuggle 4,587 pounds of meth with a street value of more than $5 million.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The 29-year-old driver of the truck was detained and turned over to Homeland Security as part of an ongoing investigation, and while he is innocent until proven guilty, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now.