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Border Patrol officers seize $3M worth of meth hidden in carrot shipment in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $3 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of carrots at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility in San Diego last week.

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At around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, a 43-year-old bus driver attempted to gain entry into the United States from Mexico, according to a news release from CBP. The driver had a valid border crossing card but was referred by CBP officers for further examination along with the tractor-trailer and shipment.

A narcotics detector dog assisted by screening the truck and tractor-trailer. The dog alerted officers to a pallet of carrots, according to KSWB.

CBP officers inspected the pallet and found about 628 packages inside the carrot pallet. CBP said that the packages were narcotics and were tested. The narcotics came back as methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $3,013,899. It weighed about 1,435.19 pounds.

These types of narcotic interceptions play a critical role in our border security mission,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director in the news release. “Our officers will continue to remain vigilant, working hard to detect these smuggling techniques, stopping the negative impact that narcotics have, while also preventing the proceeds from funding transnational criminal organizations.”

The driver was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations per further processing, according to KSWB.

CBP said officers seized the tractor, trailer and narcotics.