CBP officers seize more than $21 million worth of narcotics in one month
US: Throughout August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the San Diego Field Office apprehended more than 10,000 pounds of drugs valued at over $21 million.
9,000 pounds of methamphetamine, over 1,000 pounds of cocaine, and 300 pounds of fentanyl were seized during a border-check operation, the CBP said in a statement on Monday.
The drugs that were seized were found in 108 different instances.
The CBP said in a statement on Wednesday that the street value of the drugs is believed to be more than $21 million.
The seizures are a part of continuing efforts by CBP to stop the smuggling of illegal substances into the nation.
Over 109,000 pounds of narcotics were seized by CBP agents stationed at the San Diego Field Office during the fiscal year 2023-2024.
This month’s haul of drugs taken in by the San Diego Field Office is the biggest since CBP agents confiscated a huge $38 million narcotics haul in May.
In 165 distinct efforts at smuggling between May 1 and May 31, law enforcement officers seized 4.31 pounds of marijuana, 21.73 pounds of heroin, 913.9 pounds of cocaine, 561.91 pounds of fentanyl, and 16,408.94 pounds of methamphetamine.
Eight thousand pounds of drugs were seized by CBP agents in August 2023.
After being placed under arrest, every suspect connected to the narcotics seizures was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further criminal analysis.
Sidney K. Aki, the CBP director of field operations for San Diego, said in a statement that “our mission is clear: to protect our borders, safeguard our nation, and ensure the safety of our communities” at the San Diego Field Office.
“These figures demonstrate the effectiveness of our multipronged strategy for taking down multinational criminal groups. We are improving our capacity to thwart drug smuggling activities and stop drugs from entering our neighborhoods by using state-of-the-art technologies and cultivating essential relationships.”
Meth was the narcotic that the San Diego Field Office confiscated the most of in the same period, with 89,000 pounds found by the police.
The ports of entry in Southern California, including San Ysidro, San Diego Airport and Seaport, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico East/West, and Andrade, are under the jurisdiction of the San Diego office.
Over a ton of drugs were recovered in July alone at one point of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border, making this seizure the most recent in a run of narcotics seizures in recent months.
On August 9, during a regular vehicle search, CBP officials at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility found nearly 600 pounds of meth hidden within a shipment of celery.
A shipment of watermelons containing more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine was seized by additional police at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility.
More than four thousand pounds of meth had been covered up by smugglers with brilliant green, striped plastic that looked like little watermelons.
