CBP officers discover $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised as watermelons

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised and concealed within a shipment of watermelons last Friday.

The incident occurred when CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility encountered a 29-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer, seeking entry into the United States from Mexico, hauling a shipment manifested for watermelons. CBP officers referred the driver, the commercial tractor-trailer, and its cargo to secondary for further examination.

In the secondary inspection area, the watermelon shipment was offloaded to the intensive dock for further examination. Upon careful inspection, officers uncovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within the shipment. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, with a total weight 4587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeds $5 million dollars.

CBP officers seized the narcotics and commercial tractor-trailer, while the driver was turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods," stated Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. "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."

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.