SAN DIEGO–U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo port of entry Thursday seized 286 pounds of methamphetamine and 26 pounds of fentanyl hidden in the sleeper cab of a tractor-trailer truck.
“Even in the midst of a global pandemic, we continue to see attempts to move hard narcotics across the border and into U.S. communities,” said Pete Flores, Director of Field Operations for Customs and Border Protection in San Diego. “Customs and Border Protection officers at all of our nation’s legal border crossings remain on the job and vigilant during these unprecedented times.”
At about 7 a.m. on July 23, a driver arrived at the commercial border crossing with a shipment of recycled cardboard; Customs and Border Protection officers referred the truck and driver for a non-intrusive imaging scan and an in-depth examination at the dock.
Officers completed the imaging scan and found anomalies in the cab of the truck. Another Customs and Border Protection officer went in to inspect the truck cab.
Inside, the Customs and Border Protection officer lifted the sleeper compartment and found two black duffel bags hidden inside. Customs and Border Protection officers removed 64 cellophane-wrapped packages from inside the bags; 59 of the packages contained methamphetamine and five contained fentanyl.
Customs and Border Protection officers seized the narcotics, tractor, and trailer. The driver, a 36-year-old Mexican citizen with a valid B1/B2 border-crossing card, was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center to face federal charges.
