LAREDO, Texas — Border patrol agents made one of their biggest busts so far this year - hidden inside a shipment of fresh tomatoes.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said officers at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge seized 654 packages Wednesday from a tractor trailer arriving from Mexico. They shipment contained almost 2,000 pounds of alleged methamphetamine. CBP estimates the street value to be about $37 million.
“Officers at the Laredo Port of Entry have heightened their enforcement strategy when targeting these high-risk commodities, successfully disrupting the flow of deadly narcotics from entering our country,” said Port Director Gregory Alvarez, Laredo Port of Entry. “This record breaking drug bust was an exceptional operation that highlights CBP’s commitment in confronting the drug abuse epidemic.”
The tractor and shipment was referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, CBP said.
Investigators said the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.
