SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers within the San Diego Field Office are commended for their diligence and outstanding work for seizing $7.8 million worth of dangerous drugs in the week leading up to Memorial Day.
- May 18, at the San Ysidro port of entry, 36 packages were discovered and extracted from the floor, firewall and gas tank of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as fentanyl powder with a total weight of 4.67 pounds, fentanyl pills with a total weight of 2.25 pounds, and methamphetamine with a total weight of 27.47 pounds. Altogether, the narcotics have an estimated street value of $305,200.
- May 19, at the Tecate cargo facility, 50 packages with a total weight of 123.46 pounds were discovered and extracted from the gas tank of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as cocaine with an estimated street value of $2,000,000.
- May 19, at the Calexico port of entry, 78 packages with a total weight of 109.17 pounds were discovered and extracted from the rear quarter panels, doors, seats, and speaker box of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $3,000,000.
- May 19, at the Otay Mesa port of entry, five packages with a total weight of 11.42 pounds discovered and extracted from the rear quarter panel of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as fentanyl powder with an estimated street value of $158,000.
- May 20, at the Calexico port of entry, three packages with a total weight of 15.30 pounds were discovered and extracted from the undercarriage of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $100,600.
- May 23, at the Calexico port of entry, six packages with a total weight of 7.45 pounds were discovered and extracted from a traveler’s backpack. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $16,390.
- May 23, at the San Ysidro port of entry, 40 packages with a total weight of 77.21 pounds were discovered and extracted from the rear doors and gas tank of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $2,101,200.
- May 24, at the San Ysidro port of entry, 30 packages with a total weight of 60.80 pounds were discovered and extracted from the spare tire of a vehicle. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $133,760.
“Narcotics smuggling continues to be on the rise and our officers will relentlessly continue doing everything they can to keep our communities safe,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego. “Remaining vigilant for something that looks out of place and keeping a keen eye for unusual travel patterns is what our officers are trained for and what they do best.”
The CDC states that more than 150 people die every day from drug overdoses related to synthetic opioids derived from fentanyl. https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html
The total estimated amount of the narcotics found by CBP officers within the San Diego Field Office was $7,815,150. All travelers were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
The narcotics and any associated vehicles used to smuggle the drugs were seized by CBP officers.
Follow the Director of CBP’s San Diego Field Office on Twitter at @DFOSanDiegoCA for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.
