Border patrol seizes over 600 pounds of meth hidden in celery shipment

Border patrol intercepted the drugs at the U.S.–Mexico border
Drug Brick Torn Open
By Terrance Kible

Officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted methamphetamine worth $755,000 and concealed in shipment of U.S.-bound celery, the agency said Monday.

 

The drugs found Aug. 9 weighed 629.72 pounds. 

CBP agents at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego, "encountered a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer, seeking entry into the United States from Mexico," according to a CBP press release.

The man reportedly had valid border crossing credentials.

After routine inspections, CBP officers ordered the driver and vehicle "to secondary inspection for a more thorough examination."

CBP officers offloaded boxes of celery "for closer scrutiny." A K-9 unit screened the boxes and "quickly alerted officers to the presence of narcotics."

A physical inspection "uncovered 508 packages hidden among the celery."

"Testing confirmed the packages contained methamphetamine," CBP said.