SAN DIEGO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently thwarted a substantial narcotics smuggling attempt, seizing drugs with an estimated street value of nearly $13 million at California’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
According to a news release, the 37-year-old driver of a 2009 Freightliner applied for entry into the United States at the Otay Mesa commercial facility on Aug. 5. The arriving shipment purported to be heavy machinery gears.
Further inspection of an atypical gear led investigators to 262 packages of cocaine, weighing nearly 871 pounds, and 18 packages of fentanyl, weighing nearly 42 pounds, the agency stated.
“No matter the size of the conveyance and concealing method smugglers attempt to use, our officers are keen at discovering even the most minuscule inconsistencies,” Anne Maricich, CBP Acting Director of Field Operations in San Diego, stated. “Our officers will continue to prevent these deadly drugs from crossing our borders.”
The estimated street value of the drugs totaled $12.8 million.
CBP officers seized the narcotics along with the truck and trailer, while the driver was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations for further processing.
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