Squash shipment used to hide $18M worth of meth, CBP says

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Border officers quashed an attempt to smuggle meth in a shipment of squash.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a shipment manifested as squash arrived at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility just before 7 a.m. Monday.

During an enhanced inspection of the tractor-trailer, which included an X-ray scan, officers found anomalies and called in a drug-sniffing dog.

CBP said the canine alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. The officers found 1,419 packages of what tested positive for methamphetamine concealed within the shipment of squash. The drugs weighed 11,469 pounds and had an estimated street value of $18,350,400, CBP said.

Rosa E. Hernandez, the Otay Mesa Area Port Director, issued a statement commending the officers.

Described only as a 44-year-old, the tractor-trailer’s driver is in the custody of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) for further investigation. CBP seized the meth and the vehicle.

CBP said that the seizure is part of Operation Apollo, a “holistic” counter-fentanyl effort that began last October in Southern California and expanded to Arizona in April.

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