U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than $48 million worth of methamphetamine Oct. 22 at the Veterans International Bridge in Texas.
The shipment of roughly 2,445 pounds of meth was found when a 60-year-old Mexican citizen driving a 1997 Freightliner truck applied for entry, according to a CBP media release.
Mother lode: #CBP officers seize $48M in methamphetamine, more than a ton, within a tractor trailer at #Brownsville Port of Entry’s Veterans International Bridge. Driver arrested. Read more: https://t.co/QbWrxEotGV pic.twitter.com/nxBlljWgxn
— CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) October 28, 2021
“This substantial seizure illustrates the importance of remaining vigilant and our CBP officers used their experience and enforcement tools available in keeping these dangerous narcotics from entering our country,” Brownsville Port Director Tater Ortiz said in the news release.
The truck was stopped at the Veterans International Bridge and referred to CBP secondary for a deeper inspection, according to the agency. Officers then found 62 buckets filled with meth. (EXCLUSIVE: Local DEA Chief Says Drug Cartels Are Doing ‘Anything And Everything’ To Smuggle Drugs Across The Southern Border)
Officials estimate the seized meth’s street value at $48,898,072, according to the media release. The driver was arrested and transferred to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
Fentanyl is often mixed with drugs like methamphetamine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency blamed fentanyl for a record 92,183 drug overdose deaths in 2020. Border officials seized 2,400 more pounds of fentanyl from January to April 2021 compared to 2020.
The Daily Caller reached out to the Brownsville Port of Entry, who referred the Caller to the news release.