The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
41°F
Current Conditions
Few clouds
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Seedy discovery at U.S.-Mexico border: $5 million worth of meth disguised as watermelons

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised and concealed within a shipment of watermelons Friday.  (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility seized more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised and concealed within a shipment of watermelons Friday.  (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
By Nathan Solis Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES – Choosing the right watermelon can be tricky. Sometimes they’re not ripe, or maybe they have too many seeds.

Then there’s the possibility the “melons” are actually $5 million worth of methamphetamine painted to look like fruit so they 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 the Otay Mesa commercial facility and tried to enter San Diego County.

His manifest said he was shipping watermelons, and officers directed him to a secondary screening spot for further inspection, the agency said in a statement.

The shipment was taken off the truck and, upon a closer look, officers discovered a seedy situation: 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.

Officers seized the meth and the tractor-trailer. The driver was turned over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. There was no other information available about the driver.

“As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding 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 are not the only produce being employed in drug smuggling. Earlier this month, at the same border checkpoint, officers intercepted 629 pounds 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 meth buried in jalapeño paste, and nearly 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine bundled with carrots.

The seizures are part of the CBP’s counter-fentanyl effort that stretches from Southern California to Arizona.