U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently made headlines by seizing over $40 million worth of meth hidden in a lettuce shipment. This remarkable haul occurred at the Hidalgo Port of Entry, where officers uncovered more than 3,400 pounds of suspected meth during a routine inspection of a tractor-trailer at the Pharr International Bridge.
The estimated street value of the drugs has been reported at over $48 million, making it the largest meth seizure ever recorded at this location.
The officers came across the suspicious tractor-trailer while it was crossing from Mexico. A detailed search led to the discovery of 1,488 packages of methamphetamine, weighing an impressive 3,429.60 pounds, cleverly concealed within a food produce shipment.
With the meth and the vehicle now in their possession, CBP’s Office of Field Operations has initiated a criminal investigation in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.
Port Director Carlos Rodriguez emphasized the importance of their work, saying, “Our CBP officers remain vigilant and intercepted this massive methamphetamine load from reaching American streets. Congratulations to our diligent officers who made this record-breaking interception!”
Meth remains a significant contributor to overdose deaths in the U.S. In 2023, the CDC reported 36,251 deaths linked to overdosing on psychostimulants, slightly up from 35,550 in 2022.
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year alone, CBP seized an astonishing 135,769 pounds of meth across the nation, with the Southwest border – particularly California and Texas – seeing the highest amounts due to prevalent meth use.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that comes in various forms, including a white powder and crystal variations resembling shiny glass fragments. The majority of meth entering the U.S. is manufactured by Mexican cartels in covert labs, aimed at producing a cheap and potent product.
According to the CDC, in 2021, there were 32,537 overdose deaths associated with psychostimulants. During the 2022-2023 period, CBP officers nationwide seized nearly 549,000 pounds of illegal substances, with meth accounting for 140,000 pounds of those seizures.
A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that approximately 2.5 million Americans aged 12 and older have experimented with meth. The battle against this dangerous drug continues as law enforcement ramps up efforts on the U.S.-Mexico border.