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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents working the the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California made a massive bust recently when they discovered approximately 2,686 pounds of meth hidden in the floor frame of a tractor trailer.
The bust, which took place last week, was triggered when CBP officers inspected an empty commercial tractor-trailer being driven by a 40-year-old male seeking entry into the United States from Mexico.
The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was referred for a secondary inspection after CBP officers completed their initial, cursory inspection.
It was during this secondary inspection that Customs and Border Protection agents, using non-intrusive screening technology to scan the vehicle, that they observed anomalies within the floor-frame of the tractor-trailer.
The officers then called in the CBP K-9 unit which alerted them to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle.
Utilizing heavy equipment to further inspect the floor-frame of the tractor trailer, the CBP agents were able to locate 265 packages of meth with an estimated street value of $3.22 million.
Tests confirmed the packages contained methamphetamine and the driver was turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations.
“I am extremely proud of our dedicated workforce,” stated Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “Our officers are always vigilant and work hard to ensure our border security is not compromised and to protect our communities from dangerous drugs.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Drug smugglers have been known to try almost anything to get their product into America.
.@CBP officers at the #SYSPOE cont. to work diligently to prevent dangerous drugs from entering our country! Earlier today, officers discovered 4 pkgs. of blue fentanyl pills concealed in the oil pan of the vehicle. Fentanyl poses a serious threat to our communities! #OpApolloX pic.twitter.com/Corkdir6jK
— Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki (@DFOSanDiegoCA) October 10, 2024
🚨DeFLATed attempt!
Yesterday, #SYSPOE @CBP officers intercepted a drug smuggling attempt, discovering 22 lbs. of blue fentanyl pills & 34 lbs. of meth concealed within the vehicle's spare tire. Our team works tirelessly to stop narcotics from rolling through our borders! #CBP pic.twitter.com/ltefmLCXxo— Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki (@DFOSanDiegoCA) October 9, 2024
Another example of this recently occurred at the Port of Buffalo in New York, where CBP officers were surprised to discover multiple commercial shipments of chocolate contained psilocybin, a schedule 1 controlled substance, in the Peace Bridge warehouse.
“A total of 15 seizures of psilocybin chocolate shipments, with a weight of more than 20 pounds were intercepted throughout the past 30 days, including approximately seven pounds seized on October 9,” Port of Buffalo CBP said in a statement.
Over the last 30 days, CBP officers at the Peace Bridge, Port of Buffalo, N.Y. seized more than 20 pounds of Psilocybin, including 7 pounds on October 9. Total street value is estimated at $165,000.
Learn More➡️https://t.co/kREfiDpmTd pic.twitter.com/SUNqh8Hv4l— CBP Buffalo (@CBPBuffalo) October 11, 2024