Choosing the right watermelon can be tricky. Sometimes they are not ripe or maybe they have too many seeds.
Then there's the possibility that the “melons” are actually $5 million worth of methamphetamine painted to look like fruit so it can be smuggled across the border.
That was the sight U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Friday when a 29-year-old man drove a commercial tractor-trailer to an Otay Mesa business facility and attempted to enter San Diego County.
His manifest said he was shipping watermelons and officers directed him to a secondary checkpoint for further inspection, the agency said in a statement.
Officers discovered 1,220 packages of methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and painted two shades of green to mimic a watermelon, according to authorities.
(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
The shipment was unloaded from the truck and upon closer inspection, officers discovered a sordid sight: 1,220 packages of methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and painted two shades of green to mimic a watermelon.
The packages weighed 4,587 pounds in total, with an estimated street value of $5 million, according to authorities.
Agents seized the methamphetamine and the tractor-trailer. The driver was turned over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. No further information was available about the driver.
“As drug cartels continue to develop their smuggling techniques, we will continue to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country,” Port Director Rosa E. Hernandez said in a statement.
Fake watermelons aren't the only product used in drug smuggling. Earlier this month, at the same border checkpoint, agents intercepted 270 kilos of methamphetamine hidden among bunches of celery.
Officers in that case also seized the tractor-trailer and narcotics and turned the driver, a 34-year-old man, over to Homeland Security.
Officers have also recently seized shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine buried in jalapeno paste, and nearly 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine tied with carrots.
The seizures are part of a CBP anti-fentanyl effort that stretches from Southern California to Arizona.
