U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in San Diego intercepted a huge cache of narcotics on Dec. 13, estimated to be worth over $10 million, the agency announced Thursday.
The officers found the illicit drugs concealed in a shipment of jalapeño paste at a cargo facility near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the news release. The border officials discovered 349 packages containing 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and over 500 pounds of cocaine, pegged at approximately $10,430,000. The smugglers hid these packages within large vats of jalapeño paste, presumably to evade detection, the agency reported. (RELATED: Coast Guard Seizes $158 Million In Drugs From Three Ships In The Pacific Ocean)
Thousands of pounds of narcotics were removed from vats of jalapeño paste that entered the U.S. in California last week in the back of a commercial truck, border agents said. https://t.co/BdesyM0MLu
— CBS Sacramento (@CBSSacramento) December 19, 2023
A 28-year-old man, holding a valid border crossing card and driving a commercial tractor-trailer, transported the shipment, the news release stated. A K-9 inspection unit alerted the officers Wednesday morning, leading to a more detailed examination of the jalapeño paste cargo.
“Our K-9 teams are an invaluable component of our counter-narcotics operations, providing a reliable and unequaled mobile detection capability,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director, according to the press release. “By implementing local operations under Operation Apollo and CBP’s Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and other Synthetic Drugs, we will continue to secure communities and stifle the growth of transnational criminal organizations, one seizure after another.”
After the seizure, officials detained the driver and transferred him to Homeland Security Investigations for further questioning, the press release confirmed.