SAN DIEGO, Calif (KSEE/KGPE) – U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman announced federal drug charges against Carlos Martin Quintana-Arias of Mexico, following the seizure yesterday of 17,584 pounds of methamphetamine and 388.93 pounds of fentanyl from a commercial trailer attempting entry at the Otay Mesa, California, Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that both drug seizures would be the largest in each drug category, in the last two years for all of the United States.
On November 18, 2021, at approximately 8:18 p.m., Quintana-Arias, a Mexican citizen, applied for entry into the U.S. in his Kenworth Tractor pulling a trailer. Quintana-Arias’ claimed the trailer contained automotive parts. However, an X-Ray machine detected anomalies inside the trailer and a drug detection dog alerted to the rear door of the trailer.
Further inspection of the trailer’s contents revealed a few automotive body parts among 6,266 packages of drugs. Of the total drug packages, 6,106 packages contained a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine; these packages together weighed approximately 7,976.2 kilograms (17,584.33 pounds). The other 160 packages contained fentanyl and weighed approximately176.42 kilograms (388.93 pounds).
“This is a staggering seizure that demonstrates the extent of our current fight against mass production of methamphetamine and fentanyl. But for the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, this record-breaking deluge of drugs would have caused incredible damage in our communities.” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.
“This record-breaking commercial seizure exemplifies the joint efforts of CBP and HSI employees, who work tirelessly each day to protect our Ports of Entry from the threats posed by drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Countless lives will be saved because of this historic seizure of methamphetamine and fentanyl, but make no mistake: drug cartels strive to exploit our borders to further their criminal enterprises every day.”