U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Uncover $4M Worth of Meth in Brussels Sprouts Shipment; Roque Caza Comments



U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Uncover $4M Worth of Meth in Brussels Sprouts Shipment; Roque Caza Comments



CALEXICO, CA - A criminal act was carried out in the vegetable category last week. It was discovered at the Calexico East Cargo Facility in California that a tractor-trailer carrying Brussels sprouts was also concealing $4 million worth of narcotics.

Roque Caza, Calexico Area Port Director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Photo credit: CBP)“Smugglers are constantly utilizing innovative methods to conceal narcotics,” said Roque Caza, Calexico Area Port Director. “By combining officer intuition and utilizing advanced technology, officers were able to make a notable discovery within a shipment of produce. Excellent work by our CBP officers.”

On June 2, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers encountered a shipment manifested for Brussels sprouts. During the initial inspection, a CBP officer referred the driver and tractor-trailer for further examination, a press release noted.

Officers at the Calexico East Cargo Facility in California recently uncovered $4 million concealed in a load of Brussels sprouts

While a non-intrusive inspection was conducted of the tractor-trailer and its shipment, irregularities were observed. A CBP human/narcotics detector dog later alerted CBP officers to the presence of narcotics.

CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 148 packages concealed within the floor and roof of the trailer. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a total weight of 2,052.2 pounds and an estimated street value of $4,309,620.

The driver was detained for the alleged narcotics smuggling attempt and CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer, and narcotics.

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