Meth hidden in squash found at US-Mexico border worth $18 million

   

Texas border cops stopped an attempt to sneak $18 million worth of methamphetamines into the US by concealing it in boxes of Mexican squash.

Pictures of the bust released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show the narcotic, secured in green wrapping, blending in with green Mexican squash. 

The drugs arrived inside at tractor-trailer to a port of entry in Otay Mesa, California, near San Diego on Monday, according to a news release from the agency.

The 44-year-old driver the commercial cargo truck had all the proper documentation and told authorities he was bringing squash from Mexico into California.

During a secondary inspection of the truck, a scan of the truck revealed ‘irregularities,’ prompting inspectors to bring in a drug-sniffing K-9.  

Meth in green wrapped were found inside a shipment of squash near San Diego, California, CBP confirmed

The drug dogs alerted officers to the presence of the meth. 

A total of 1,419 packages with the highly addictive stimulant were discovered inside the shipment of squash.

About 11,469 pounds of the drug that could be sold for $18,350,400 will never make it on the street, the release boasted.

Meanwhile, the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigation, the investigative branch of CBP. 

The feds explained the discovery is part of an increased effort to stop fentanyl from crossing into the US. 

Smugglers tried to conceal the drugs in green wrapping

The drugs were found during a secondary inspection of a commercial tractor trailer bringing produce into the US

Known as Operation Apollo, the effort began on October 26, 2023 in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024.

The bust is latest bizarre found along America’s southern border. 

In March, a person trying to enter El Paso, Texas from Mexico had a hamburger with fentanyl hidden inside, authorities said at the time.