Border authorities seize 2.2 tons of illegal drugs in two days

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 2.2 tons of illegal drugs over a period of just two days, including hard drugs valued at $24 million.

The massive haul came from two separate drug busts on Oct. 20 and Oct. 22, CBP announced. In the first incident, CBP encountered a 28-year-old driving a tractor trailer ostensibly filled with green onions. Authorities referred him for further examination and discovered 183 packages containing drugs, disguised as onions.

The truck contained a total of 1,528.99 pounds of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $3.3 million.

In a similar scenario, officials encountered a 29-year-old driving a tractor trailer, whom they also referred for further inspection. That revealed 195 packages of methamphetamine and 75 packages of cocaine hidden behind a false wall. Within those packages were 1,992.54 pounds of methamphetamine and 1,037.27 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $20.8 million altogether.

Both drivers were arrested and handed over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The busts come amid an unprecedented surge in illegal migration and drug trafficking at the southern border, driven in part by the Biden administration's lax approach to enforcing immigration law. Of particular concern is the emergence of a deadly fentanyl industry, with authorities breaking the record for seizures of the narcotic in fiscal year 2022.