Drug smugglers attempt to disguise S$6.5M worth of meth as watermelons across US-Mexico border
On 16 Aug, the United States (US) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in California seized S$6.5 million worth of methamphetamine, also known as meth, disguised as watermelons.
In a statement released on Tuesday (20 Aug), CPB shared that officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility encountered a 29-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer.
The driver was attempting to enter Mexico from California with a shipment of what appeared to be watermelons.
However, officers pulled the driver and cargo aside for further examination.
Officers find drugs disguised as watermelons
Upon further and careful inspection, officers discovered 1,220 meth-filled packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons.
The deceiving fruit weighed more than 2,000 kilograms in total and had an estimated street value of S$6.5 million.
Officers subsequently seized the narcotics and tractor-trailer and handed the driver over to the custody of Homeland Security for further investigation.
According to America’s National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH), meth is “a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system”.
It is known to have longer-lasting and more harmful effects, which categorises it as a drug with a high potential for widespread misuse.
Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa in California Rosa Hernandez said she was proud of the officers for their work in uncovering “sophisticated and diverse” smuggling methods.
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Featured image adapted from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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