Customs and Border Protection made a big bust last week when officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized more than a million dollars’ worth of cocaine in a single enforcement action.
CBP seized the cocaine on Tuesday, Sept. 10, when CBP officers referred a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer and empty flatbed applying for entry from Mexico into the United States to secondary inspection.
Officers discovered and extracted 65 packages from the fifth wheel area of the tractor-trailer. According to CBP, the contents of the packages were tested and identified as cocaine, weighing a total of 167.11 pounds with an estimated street value of $1,270,000.00.
“Today, CBP officers showcased their unwavering commitment to securing our borders by seizing 167 pounds of cocaine ingeniously concealed within the fifth wheel area of a flatbed truck,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, port director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa, in a statement.
This seizure is the result of Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl CBP operation that was launched in October 2023. It focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial entities to boost resources and increase collaboration between partners.
