Written by Michael Palomba
Customs and Border Patrol Agents at San Diego’s Otay Mesa port of entry made the second-largest methamphetamine bust in history last week.
According to CBP, at around 9:45 am on Friday, officers seized more than 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills, and heroin.
The driver of the vehicle that was stopped claimed to be transporting medical supplies, but an officer was suspicious and flagged the truck to receive a more intensive inspection. Using an x-ray type technology, officers spotted abnormal items near the rear of the trailer. The truck was then sent to the dock where canine units alerted officers that there were drugs in the trailer.
CBP confiscated around 3,014 pounds of methamphetamine, 64 pounds of heroin, 29 pounds of fentanyl powder, and nearly 37 pounds of fentanyl pills, all mixed in with medical supplies and totaling an estimated $7.2 million. It’s worth noting that 1,000 micrograms of fentanyl is more than enough to kill a person. Looking at the fentanyl powder alone, there were about 13,150,000,000 micrograms on board, which is enough to kill about 13,150,000 people.
“This massive seizure is testament of what law enforcement agencies can do when we combine forces — prevent over $7 million worth of deadly drugs from entering our country, thus saving countless lives from addiction and overdose deaths,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge John W. Callery.
The operator of the vehicle was a 47-year-old Mexican citizen. He was arrested at the scene and turned over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“This significant seizure is a prime example of how a successful partnership between HSI, CBP and DEA results in the disruption of transnational criminal organizations while protecting our country from dangerous illicit drugs,” said Juan Munoz, acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in San Diego.
