Customs and Border Patrol officials at San Diego’s Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized 1.76 tons of methamphetamine and half a ton of cocaine totaling $24 million.
The two seizures, announced publicly Wednesday, took place on Oct. 20 and 22, respectively, at the border with Mexico.
The first seizure involved an unnamed 28-year-old male. During inspection of the traveler, officials found a package disguised as onion chives deep within the pallet of green onions.
“CBP officers searched the shipment and removed 183 packages containing … approximately 1,528.99 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated street value of $3.3 million,” the agency wrote in a release.
The second seizure involved an unnamed 29-year-old male going through the port of entry with electronics in a tractor-trailer.
A CBP officer referred the driver for further inspection, and a CBP canine team found a false front wall in the trailer.
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“CBP officers searched the location and discovered 195 packages of … approximately 1,992.54 pounds of methamphetamine and 1,037.27 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated street value of $20.8 million,” the agency explained.
Both drivers were arrested on suspicion of narcotics trafficking and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. CBP seized the vehicles, trailers and the 2.2 tons of combined narcotics.
“CBP officers are the front line of stopping these dangerous drugs from entering the U.S. The lengths drug trafficking organizations are willing to go to conceal and smuggle narcotics is a testament to how effective our officers are,” said Jennifer De La O, CBP director of field operations for the San Diego Field Office.
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