U.S Customs and Border Protection announced over the weekend that nearly $8 million in meth was seized from inside roses at the Hidalgo International Bridge.
CBP reported in a news release that officers “encountered a tractor trailer attempting to make entry to the U.S. from Mexico” before choosing the vehicle for an inspection.
This inspection included a nonintrusive investigation of all the truck equipment and a canine team searching the vehicle.
In total, officers seized 154 packages of alleged methamphetamine with a total weight of 857.59 pounds from the shipment of roses.
CBP stated that the drugs have been seized, and a criminal investigation into the incident has begun.
Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry Director Carlos Rodriguez said in the news release about the bust that it reflects a focus on stopping drug crime, crediting the officers who conducted the inspection.
“This large hard narcotics seizure reflects the excellent work done by our CBP officers; their use of our tools and technology is second to none,” he said, per The CBP.
This bust represents a noticeable trend from CBP in recent memory, as illegal crossings have decreased and the number of drug busts has increased over the past few months.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, CBP stated that there were just 25,228 total “encounters” throughout the country in June, which is the lowest total monthly number since these statistics have been recorded.
Additionally, CBP saw a sizable increase in the number of drug busts at the border during this same span.
CBP agents reportedly seized 742 pounds of fentanyl in June, marking a 3% increase, while also seeing a 102% increase in the amount of methamphetamine seizures during the month.
As a whole, drug seizures increased by 13% in June.
Although there is no specific data about how many drugs were kept off the street during this timeframe, there is enough to know that countless lives were saved through the seizures at the border.