CALEXICO, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted close to half a ton of methamphetamine concealed inside the walls of a trailer at the Calexico East Commercial Facility.
The incident occurred Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at approximately 7 p.m., when officers encountered the driver of a 2013 Kenworth tractor-trailer that entered the cargo facility. A CBP officer conducting the inspection at the booth referred the tractor-trailer to the dock for further examination.
CBP officers utilized the port’s imaging system to screen the tractor-trailer and observed anomalies within the front wall of the trailer. A CBP canine team screened the conveyance and received a positive alert from the detector dog. Officers discovered wrapped packages of methamphetamine hidden inside the front wall of the trailer.
A total of 30 packages of methamphetamine, weighing 866.50 pounds, were removed by CBP officers. The methamphetamine has an estimated street value of $1,559,700 million U.S. dollars.
The driver, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen and resident of Mexicali, Baja California, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt. CBP officers turned the driver over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further processing.
CBP officers seized the narcotics, tractor, and trailer.
CBP officers at the border crossing in Southern California stop illegal activity while processing millions of legitimate travelers into the United States. Those statistics can be found here: CBP-enforcement-statistics
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.