Border patrol seizes $37M worth of meth in shipment of tomatoes
NEW YORK - U.S. Border Patrol officers in Texas seized $37 million worth of methamphetamine at the Laredo Port of Entry from a commercial shipment of tomatoes from Mexico.
Officials said a trailer carrying the shipment from Mexico hid hundreds of packages of the drug, which weighed more than 1,800 pounds.
Border officials seized the truck, trailer, and shipment and turned it over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Officers at the Laredo Port of Entry have heightened their enforcement strategy when targeting these high-risk commodities, successfully disrupting the flow of deadly narcotics from entering our country," said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. "This record-breaking drug bust was an exceptional operation that highlights CBP’s commitment in confronting the drug abuse epidemic."
The seizure occurred on Wednesday, March 25, when CBP officers assigned to the cargo facility encountered a commercial shipment of fresh tomatoes arriving from Mexico. The 2007 Freightliner tractor and shipment was referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection resulting in the discovery of 654 packages containing 1,847.91 pounds of alleged methamphetamine concealed within the tomatoes.
It was unclear if any arrest was made in the case.