SAN DIEGO (KNX) – More than $12 million worth of narcotics was found hidden in a shipment of heavy machinery gears at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced.
On Aug. 5, officers said a 37-year-old driving a 2009 Freightliner truck was trying to get into the United States with a valid Border Cross card. The driver claimed the truck shipment contained heavy machinery gears.
“A CBP officer screened the conveyance with his assigned human/narcotics detector dog, which alerted to one of the mechanical gears within the shipment,” the department said in a press release. “CBP officers conducted an intensive, physical inspection and noticed that one of the gears appeared to have inconsistent work done when compared to the other gears.”
CBP officers removed more than 360 packages of cocaine and 18 boxes with fentanyl from inside the heavy machinery — more than 900 pounds of narcotics. The street value totaled $12.8 million.
Border patrol agents arrested the driver and delivered him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations for further processing.
“No matter the size of the conveyance and concealing method smugglers attempt to use, our officers are keen at discovering even the most minuscule inconsistencies,” said Anne Maricich, CBP Acting Director of Field Operations in San Diego.
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