Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Pharr International Bridge leading into Texas recently stopped a trailer hauling more than $15 million worth of methamphetamine hidden within a shipment of carrots.
This marks the second big meth bust at a Texas port of entry this month, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
According to CBP officials, the incident occurred on July 10 when border officers flagged a commercial tractor-trailer entering from Mexico for a closer inspection. The truck, which was supposedly carrying carrots, underwent a more cautious follow-up inspection using modern imaging technology in collaboration with the noses of their canine team.
What they found was, in fact, not carrots, but 311 tightly wrapped packages of methamphetamine, weighing more than 1,700 pounds in total, with an estimated street value of about $15.6 million.
“This second large load of methamphetamine in the last four days underscores the serious nature of the drug threat we face and the effectiveness of officer experience, inspection techniques, and technology to prevent these loads from moving further north and poisoning our communities,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez.
Homeland Security agents have launched a new investigation to track down the smuggling network potentially connected to these methamphetamine seizures.
Methamphetamine continues to be one of the most trafficked synthetic drugs across the southern border. Apparently, traffickers often resort to using fresh produce shipments, frozen goods, or other everyday cargo to disguise their drugs, per the CBP.
The Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge is one of the busiest commercial land ports in Texas, handling thousands of shipments daily. Despite the high traffic, CBP officials continue to consistently report crackdowns on big drug shipments, human smuggling networks, and the black market counterfeit trade.