Drug smugglers keep looking for unique ways to transport drugs across our southern border, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have successfully uncovered recent attempts to pack drugs along with strawberries and avocados coming in from Mexico. The CBP’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas, recently seized $12.7 million worth of methamphetamine and $587,000 worth of marijuana in separate, unrelated incidents. CBP officers encountered a 42-year-old male Mexican citizen with a commercial shipment of frozen strawberries arriving from Mexico. CBP’s OFO referred the shipment for further inspection and officers discovered 350 packages of alleged methamphetamine concealed within the trailer. CBP seized 906 pounds of methamphetamine along with the tractor/trailer. This seizure was accomplished with the utilization of nonintrusive imaging (NII) equipment along with assistance from CBP canine teams A few days later, a commercial shipment of fresh avocados arrived at the same cargo facility and officers discovered 421 packages of alleged marijuana. “CBP officers at our port and throughout the Laredo Field Office are encountering and seizing colossal loads of marijuana,” said Port Director David Gonzalez, at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.
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