Authorities confiscated nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in an ice chest of fish earlier this week at the Southern border in California, federal officials said.
The incident occurred Sunday before 9 p.m. at the Calexico West Port of Entry and involved a 34-year-old man who drove his sedan through the SENTRI lane, according to a Wednesday statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, also known as CBP.
SENTRI stands for the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, a CBP program “that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States."
After the sedan went through the SENTRI lane, CBP officers decided the driver and vehicle needed further inspection. During an additional inspection, CBP officers used the port’s imaging system to screen the vehicle, which had “irregularities within an ice chest found in the vehicle’s trunk,” CBP said. A K-9 team responded and found drugs, CBP said.
“CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 25 packages from the ice chest. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a total weight of 47.13 pounds,” the agency said.
“Drug traffickers will go to great lengths in attempt to deceive our officers,” Calexico Area Port Director Roque Caza said in the statement. “I’m proud of our highly trained officers working diligently every day to combat these dangerous drugs that have claimed so many lives.”
The driver, whose name was not released, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations. The drugs and vehicle were seized by CBP officers from the San Diego Field Office, CBP said.
Sunday’s confiscation of drugs is the result of Operation Apollo, CBP said. The program is a “counter-fentanyl” effort that began on October in southern California, and expanded to Arizona in April. The initiative focuses on intelligence and partnerships to target fentanyl smuggling into the country, CBP said.
