California Customs Officers Seize Drugs Terribly Disguised As Watermelons
California Customs Officers seized $5 million worth of methamphetamine that was (terribly) disguised as watermelons. Drug traffickers will often attempt to get creative in order to get their products across the border. People have tried hiding drugs in pants, crutches, car batteries, and more to try to sneak past authorities. Sometimes it works! However, often it doesn’t, and that’s how we know all the different ways they’ve tried. The latest is packages of drugs disguised as watermelons.
Drugs Disguised As Watermelons Seized At Border
If you’re very far away or looking at a blurry photo, you might think these were real watermelons. However, if you’re in charge of checking shipments and see them with your own two eyes, there’s no way you’re going to be fooled. Up close, these do not look like real watermelons. It seems like US Customs and Border Protection officers in Southern California agree.
According to CNN, a 29-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer attempted to enter the United States from Mexico with a shipment of manifested watermelons. However, the shipment was investigated for additional examination, and officers discovered 1,220 packages of methamphetamine wrapped in paper that resembled a watermelon, per CNN. It reportedly weighed roughly 4,600 pounds! In street value, that would equate to roughly $5 million. Which means someone out there is likely very upset about their missing shipment and a large sum of money.
The man was placed into the custody of Homeland Security Investigations, and the drugs and tractor-trailer were seized by Customs officers. It sounds like the bust was a part of Operation Apollo that’s happening in Southern California and Arizona that’s targeting fentanyl smuggling into the country. It sounds like the operation has been a success this far, as the agency has seized nearly 146,000 pounds of methamphetamine so far in 2024, per CNN. That’s already more than what was seized last year.
You can see more about this story and check out the terribly disguised watermelons for yourself below. Would these have fooled you? I just can’t imagine these getting past anybody! Even a child would know that it isn’t a real watermelon! There have definitely been more clever attempts out there compared to this way. Sure, they tried, but they failed. Now, someone is out $5 million, and that can’t be good for them.
