U.S. Customs and Border Protection in California has seized more than a thousand pounds of meth found hidden inside watermelon shipments.
“We don’t frequently see seizures of this size, but they are certainly a risk in the cargo environment,” Anne Maricich, acting CBP director of field operations in San Diego, said in a statement. “Stopping over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine is a critical act for the security and health of our nation.”
Agents pulled over a truck with watermelons last week and discovered the meth at San Diego’s Otay Mesa Commercial Facility, where the vehicle underwent further searches with drug-sniffing dogs.
That’s when investigators found 193 wrapped plastic containers and packages of methamphetamine in watermelon crates, equating to roughly $2.5 million in street value, as reported by the Daily Beast.
The 46-year-old driver, who is from Mexico, was eventually arrested in connection with smuggling the narcotics, has been brought to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and is facing charges. He’s being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.
Also at the Otay Mesa within the same week, authorities found 2,500 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a medical equiptment shipment on May 14. After further inspection, authorities found 120 packages of narcotics involving 2,425 pounds of meth, valued at $5.5 million.
