Meth smuggler puts the scallion in rapscallion
CBP officers from the Calexico Commercial Facility seized more than 646 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $775,000 concealed within a shipment of green onions earlier this month.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, when CBP officers encountered a 63-year-old male driving a commercial tractor-trailer carrying a shipment manifested for green onions. The driver, a valid border crossing cardholder, was referred for further inspection.
In the secondary inspection area, a CBP K-9 unit screened the shipment and alerted officers to examine the trailer more closely.
CBP officers conducted a physical examination of the tractor-trailer’s floor and discovered 608 packages hidden within the shipment of green onions.
“This is truly an outstanding demonstration of our officer’s ability to think outside of the box and further exemplifies our adaptability to find illicit contraband no matter where narcotics are hidden,” said Roque Caza, port director for the area port of Calexico.
CBP officers seized the narcotics and commercial tractor-trailer while the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
