Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations intercepted $10.3 million in suspected methamphetamine concealed in a shipment of lettuce at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas, the agency says in a news release.
“Within a shipment of salad greens, our frontline officers discovered contraband that does not belong on any holiday table,” says Carlos Rodriguez, port director of the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “As this seizure aptly illustrates, our officers’ use of tools and technology was instrumental in this massive takedown of hard narcotics.”
CBP says its officers at the Pharr International Bridge encountered a commercial vehicle attempting to make entry to the U.S. from Mexico on Nov. 21. They selected the vehicle for further inspection using nonintrusive inspection equipment, and physical inspection led to the discovery of 500 packages of alleged methamphetamine with a combined weight of 1,153.01 pounds concealed within the shipment of lettuce.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations seized the narcotics and vehicle, and Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation, according to the release.
