$5M In Meth Disguised As Watermelons Siezed At The Border

Roughly $5 million worth of methamphetamine was disguised as watermelons in a shipment entering the country at the southern border. SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised as watermelons being shipped into the country along the southern border with Mexico, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the shipment was discovered last week at the Otay Mesa Commercial facility, where officials flagged the shipment of watermelons for inspection.

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"In the secondary inspection area, the watermelon shipment was offloaded to the intensive dock for further examination," U.S. Customs announced in a written statement. "Upon careful inspection, officers uncovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within the shipment. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, with a total weight 4587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeds $5 million dollars."

The 29-year-old truck driver was arrested and handed over to Homeland Security.

The case was part of Operation Apollo, a federal counter-fentanyl that began in Southern California last year and spread to Arizona this year.

Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and inter-agency partnerships.

“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods," said Rosa E. Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. "As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country."