Mexican cartels are increasingly using everyday fruits and vegetables as a cover to smuggle drugs into the United States, according to recent seizures of methamphetamine.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the San Diego, California, port of Otay Mesa recently intercepted around two tonnes of methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, cleverly disguised as bright green watermelons.
The drugs, valued at $5 million, were hidden among a shipment of genuine watermelons and packed into approximately 1,220 fake ones. The haul was discovered when a truck, driven by a 29-year-old man, was selected for a secondary inspection.
Rosa Hernandez, the port director, according to The Guardian, described the method of concealment as “sophisticated,” adding that as cartels continue to refine their smuggling techniques, law enforcement agencies are likewise enhancing their strategies to intercept such contraband.
This seizure follows another significant bust by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Atlanta, Georgia, where agents found over 2,500 pounds of meth, worth $3.2 million, hidden in boxes of celery at a state farmers market in Forest Park on August 8. DEA special agent Robert Murphy called it an “unbelievable” quantity of drugs, noting the boldness of the cartel in transporting such a large shipment so far from the border. The Georgia Department of Agriculture later destroyed the celery due to potential meth contamination.
A day after the Atlanta seizure, border agents at Otay Mesa uncovered another shipment of methamphetamine, this time 629 pounds, concealed within a shipment of celery. The 34-year-old driver had declared the load as celery, but federal authorities found otherwise.
Drug cartels have used a variety of produce to smuggle illegal substances across the border. Earlier this year, six tonnes of meth were found inside a shipment of squash in California. In another instance, 3,000 pounds of meth and cocaine were discovered last year hidden in bins of jalapeño paste. Other produce used for drug smuggling has included green beans, sugar, flour, and candy, according to CBS News.
The success of these recent seizures is credited to Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl initiative launched last October in Southern California, which was later expanded to Arizona in April. The operation emphasizes intelligence collection and interagency cooperation.
According to The Guardian, these busts coincide with the DEA’s observance of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, marked by a photo exhibition at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that over 107,543 people died from drug poisoning or overdose last year. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram described the ongoing crisis as the most dangerous in US history, urging the public to remember the lives lost on this day.