Fake watermelons hide $5million of meth in Southern California but customs officers not fooled

Watermelons are known for their juicy and refreshing taste, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Southern California came across some rather unusual 'watermelons' as the fruits were attempted to cross the San Diego border .

Officers came across the harvested 'watermelons' only to find $ 5 million worth of methamphetamine instead, which had been wrapped as poorly disguised watermelons.

According to an agency news release on August 20, officers stopped a 29-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer as he attempted to enter the U.S from Mexico with his harvested melons.

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Border patrol officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility stopped the driver and his cargo for some additional examinations after the first checkpoint. This was when they came across the phony fruits and uncovered 1,220 packages of methamphetamine weighing over 4,000 lbs "wrapped in paper" and disguised as the fruit.

The agency suggests this amount of meth has an estimated street value that exceeds $5 million. CBP officers confiscated the tractor and drugs, and the driver, who has not been identified is now under further investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.

Port director of Area Port of Otay Mesa Rosa Hernandez praised the officer's efforts in discovering the "sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods." In a statement, Hernandez said: "As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country.

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This discovery comes shortly after agents at the same facility previously confiscated 629 pounds of meth hidden in a grocery shipping crate filled with celery, according to a news release - estimated to be around $755,000. The U.S Customs and Border Patrol released a statement about the crackdown on drugs crossing the border that read: "This seizure is the result of Operation Apollo , a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on Oct. 26, 2023, in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024.

"Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States."