US Customs has thwarted a drug smuggling operation worth over five million dollars. The shipment was declared as a batch of watermelons, and the round packages of methamphetamine were wrapped in paper resembling the skin of these plants.
Last Friday, agents from the federal Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) noticed a truck entering the Otay Mesa border crossing from Tijuana, Mexico, into San Diego, California. The 29-year-old driver was trying to bring in goods declared as watermelons. The officers decided to conduct a more thorough inspection of the truck and quickly determined that the watermelons were fake – in fact, the packages were wrapped in paper resembling watermelon rinds.
Drug Smuggling on the US-Mexico Bordercbp.gov
SEE ALSO: “The Most Dangerous Border in the World.” Almost 700 People Died or Missed There in a Year
Drugs smuggled in fake watermelons
According to a statement from US Customs and Border Protection, a total of 1,220 such “watermelons” were found, containing the drug methamphetamine, weighing a total of 4,587 pounds (over two tons – ed.). The estimated black market value of this shipment exceeds five million dollars (approx. PLN 20 million – ed.). Methamphetamine is a strong and highly addictive drug.
The drug packages were wrapped to look like watermelons.cbp.gov
Both the methamphetamine and the truck were seized, and the driver was taken into custody. The services say that the seizure of this shipment is part of “Operation Apollo” – an action to help combat the spread of dangerous fentanyl in the United States. This drug is for the third year in a row was responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 Americans.
As the BBC writes, hiding drugs in shipments of agricultural produce is a common way of smuggling illegal substances across borders – the most popular method is smuggling bananas, but recently officers have also found drugs in Gouda cheese and avocados.
Main image source: cbp.gov