US authorities found $5 million worth of methamphetamine camouflaged in watermelons as smugglers attempted to transport the drug across the border from Mexico.
More than 4,500 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of the addictive drug were wrapped in paper packages painted to resemble the juicy fruit and hidden among other cargo.
Border agents stopped the tractor-trailer loaded with produce in Otay Mesa, California, on Friday and waded through the cargo for a closer look.
There they discovered that more than 1,200 watermelons were actually bunches of synthetic drugs wrapped in colored paper, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office said this week.
The cargo was confiscated and the 29-year-old driver was handed over to Homeland Security.
Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that doctors may prescribe to treat ADHD, but it is also used on the street for its stimulating effect and the feeling of invincibility it can generate in users.
The drug, known by several street names including Ice, Chalk and Scooby Snax, was featured in the hit TV series “Breaking Bad,” about a chemistry teacher who falls into a life of crime.
It is often made in rudimentary home laboratories, mixing household chemicals and cold medicines. However, the volatile substances involved are prone to explosion.
