U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa port of entry have intercepted 3,520,000 fentanyl pills concealed in a shipment of green beans. The estimated street value has been put at $21,120,000.
On Monday morning, CBP officers encountered a tractor trailer carrying a shipment manifested as green beans. During initial inspection, a CBP officer referred the driver and cargo load for an intensive agriculture inspection.
A non-intrusive inspection was utilized to conduct a full scan of the tractor trailer. After examination, irregularities were observed and CBP officers requested a CBP human/narcotic detector dog, who alerted CBP officers to the presence of narcotics.
CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 308 packages concealed within the shipment of green beans. The narcotics were tested and identified as fentanyl pills with a total weight of 776.03 pounds.
The driver was detained for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and was turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer, and narcotics.
Source: cbp.gov