Otay Mesa Commercial Border Crossing Facility in San Diego County Seizes Meth Valued at Over $5 Million – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:15 PM – Thursday, August 22, 2024
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers reportedly seized over $5 million worth of methamphetamine last Friday at the Otay Mesa Commercial crossing facility in San Diego county.
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The drugs were being smuggled over by a 29-year-old unnamed man in a commercial tractor-trailer, where he had attempted to discreetly disguise the storage of the meth as watermelons.
For unknown reasons, CBP officers became suspicious and requested further inspection of the vehicle, which led to officers uncovering the 1,220 packages wrapped in green and black colored paper.
Following the discovery, The CBP also released more information regarding the seizure.
“The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, with a total weight [of] 4587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeds $5 million dollars,” the release stated.
The announcement concluded that the CBP officers seized both the drugs and vehicle, while turning over the driver to Homeland Security officers.
“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods,” stated Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country.”
The most recent seizure follows the announcement of an operation yielding extremely positive results that was first implemented on October 26th, 2023.
“Operation Apollo focus on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States,” CBP announced.
This particular seizure is also the second largest discovery of methamphetamine at the Otay Mesa crossing facility.
Earlier this month on August 9th, CBP agents found 378 pounds of methamphetamine. That time, the packs of meth had been disguised as shipments of tomatillos.
“Our officers’ vigilance and expertise once again thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics disguised as everyday produce,” Hernandez continued, noting the agency’s “commitment to protecting our communities from the perils of drug trafficking.”
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