US Customs and Border Protection
(NEW YORK) — More than 600 pounds of methamphetamine were found hidden in a celery shipment in California, officials said.
The incident occurred on the evening of August 9, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers encountered a 34-year-old man driving a semi-trailer attempting to enter the United States from Mexico at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California, according to a CBP statement on Monday.
“The driver, who had a valid border crossing pass, was transporting a shipment declared as celery,” authorities said. “Following routine procedures, CBP officers sent the driver, the tractor-trailer and its load for a secondary inspection to examine them more thoroughly.”
During that inspection, a CBP detection dog unit alerted officers to the presence of narcotics and officers ultimately intercepted 629 pounds of methamphetamine contained in 508 packages hidden among the celery, with an estimated street value of about $755,000, officials said.
“The vigilance and expertise of our officers have once again thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics disguised as everyday products,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, port director of the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “This discovery underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from the dangers of drug trafficking.”
CBP officers subsequently seized the narcotics and the tractor-trailer involved in the smuggling attempt, and the currently unnamed driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
CBP attributes this seizure to Operation Apollo, “a holistic anti-fentanyl operation that began in Southern California on October 26, 2023, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024,” authorities said. “Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence gathering and partnerships, leveraging local CBP field resources augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to increase resources, increase cooperation, and combat the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.”
The investigation in this case is still open.
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