US Border Patrol Seizes Over 2000 Pounds of Methamphetamine and Heroin in Major Drug Bust
US Border Patrol agents seized more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth $19 million hidden in a shipment of jalapeños and cucumbers at the southern border on Tuesday night, authorities reported.
Agents made the bust, which also included over $140,000 worth of heroin among the vegetables, after drug dogs alerted inspectors to potential narcotics inside a tractor-trailer at the Pharr International Bridge, which crosses into Texas, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In total, CBP confiscated 8,206 packages of methamphetamine and 26 packages of heroin.
"Our CBP officers don't skip a beat when it comes to securing our border. This interception illustrates the important work CBP does to secure our border from harmful narcotics," said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
Agents made two other meth busts on the same day, at a crossing east of Mexicali, CBP stated.
In the first bust, K-9 units alerted inspectors to potential narcotics hidden in a pickup truck operated by a Mexican citizen with permanent residency in the US. The truck was found to be filled with meth, with 92 packages hidden in the spare tire, tailgate, and speakers.
Later that day, agents apprehended a 65-year-old woman attempting to drive across the border with four pounds of meth strapped around her torso.
The combined value of the narcotics seized in those two busts exceeded $150,000.
Both drivers were turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
