San Diego Border Patrol Intercepts Second-Largest Shipment of Meth, Fentanyl Ever Caught
Richard Moorhead
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Customs and Border Patrol agents intercepted a drug shipment that is the second-largest of its kind ever to be busted by law enforcement at a San Diego port of entry on Sunday.
A truck that was supposedly carrying medical supplies was searched at the Otay Mesa border crossing on Sunday evening. A canine alerted law enforcement to the presence of drugs when the truck was passing through the port of entry, and federal agents discovered that it was carrying a truly massive load of narcotics and drugs.
Within the truck’s freightage were 1,816 packages of criminal contraband. A CBP spokesperson informed NewsNow Las Vegas that the agency intercepted 3,014 pounds of methamphetamine, 64 pounds of heroin, 29 pounds of fentanyl powder and almost 37 pounds of fentanyl pills, worth an estimated $7.2 million.
The truck’s driver, a 47-year old Mexican national, was arrested.
DEA Special Agent in Charge John W. Callery cited the massive drug bust as an example of the dangers criminal smuggling organizations pose to the nation in a statement to Fox News. “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 death.”
Fentanyl, which is most commonly produced in China, has been smuggled into the United States in large quantities in recent decades, fueling the opioid epidemic in communities throughout the country. The synthetic opioid is marketed to consumers seeking a cheap alternative to medical painkillers and heroin.
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