Feds Seize Hundreds Of Pounds Of Meth Hidden Inside Shipment Of Celery, Again

Perhaps it is time for smugglers to stop trying to bring their illegal drugs like meth into America by hiding them in shipments of vegetables. It doesn’t seem to be working very well.

For the second time in less than a week, federal agents have discovered and seized a whole bunch of methamphetamine “concealed” inside a celery shipment.

The latest bust came at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were checking out a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer.

The driver, who was seeking entry into the United States from Mexico, had a legit border crossing card, but the CBP officers still pulled him and his truck over for a secondary inspection and a more thorough examination.

It was during this secondary inspection that a CBP K-9 unit wasted no time in letting the officers know that there was more than celery inside the tractor-trailer.

Upon further inspection, the ended up finding 508 packages hidden among the celery that testing would later confirm were filled with meth.

All in all, 629.72 pounds of meth with an estimated street value of $755,000 ended up being seized along with the tractor-trailer.

As for the man who was driving it, he was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

“Our officers’ vigilance and expertise once again thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics disguised as everyday produce,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “This discovery underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from the perils of drug trafficking.”

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Last week, they also uncovered 360 pounds of fentanyl powder and cocaine hidden within a flatbed trailer – the largest bust so far this fiscal year.

Once again, a CBP K-9 team discovered the packages, this time hidden in a non-factory compartment within the frame of the flatbed trailer.

Last week, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents announced they had made the third-largest seizure of methamphetamine this year when they found over one ton of meth, worth more than $3 million, in a shipment of celery at at the Atlanta State Farmers Market.

After trying and failing to hide drugs inside celery, lettuce, cucumbers and bell peppers, squash, and tomatillos in recent weeks, it would appear that drug smugglers are trying to find new ways to sneak their product into the United States… and still failing.