A Mexican man was arrested after trying to cross the border into California with more than 400 pounds of cocaine hidden inside boxes of cucumbers, authorities said.
The smuggler, identified only as a 33-year-old man, arrived at the port of Otay Mesa on Sept. 15 with a tractor-trailer carrying cucumbers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
However, during the inspection, CBP agents found 146 packages of cocaine hidden inside the cucumber shipments.
In total, officials seized 401.68 pounds of cocaine from the truck.
The raid came just two days after another Mexican citizen, 25, was arrested at the same port of entry while transporting gasoline tanks in a tractor-trailer.
An inspection of the gasoline tanks revealed that they actually contained 663.15 pounds of liquid methamphetamine, which was seized in 22 five-gallon buckets, CBP said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 400 pounds of cocaine hidden inside cucumber shipments. CBP The drugs were smuggled by a Mexican man who was attempting to deliver the shipments past the port of Otay Mesa in Southern California. CBP
The truck was flagged for inspection after a similar smuggling attempt last month.
Authorities said the combined value of the cucumbers and methamphetamine seized in September was more than $5.3 million.
Both Mexicans were arrested and taken into custody of the Department of Homeland Security, which is investigating the cases.
Just days before the cocaine was seized, officials caught another Mexican national trying to smuggle 663 pounds of liquid methamphetamine. CBP
“The impact our CBP officers have on our agency and the broader community goes far beyond the call of duty,” Otay Mesa Port Director Rosa Hernandez said in a statement. “This seizure is a true testament to the diligent work ethic our officers possess.”
This is not the first time smugglers have been caught trying to smuggle hundreds of pounds of drugs through the Otay Mesa port via boxes of vegetables.
In April, a 48-year-old driver was arrested after attempting to smuggle about 800 pounds of fentanyl into a tractor-trailer carrying green beans.
Through August, CBP has seized nearly 90,000 pounds of drugs at the border this year, a sharp increase from the 60,046 pounds seized last year.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn