In California, authorities discovered drugs valued at over $10.4 million cleverly hidden within a shipment of jalapeño paste.
The incident unfolded at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility on Dec. 13 when a 28-year-old driver, holding a valid border crossing card, was found transporting what appeared to be jalapeño paste in a commercial tractor-trailer.
Upon further inspection, prompted by suspicions, officers utilized K-9 units and found 349 packages concealed within the paste vats. These packages contained more than 3,000 lbs. of methamphetamine and over 500 lbs. of cocaine, as reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director, emphasized the crucial role of K-9 teams in detecting such illicit substances, reaffirming their commitment to thwarting transnational criminal activity under Operations Apollo and CBP’s Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and other Synthetic Drugs.
The driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations, and both the drugs and tractor-trailer were confiscated. According to the agency's drug seizures dashboard for 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has already seized methamphetamine valued at $140,000 and cocaine valued at $81,000.
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