U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized over $18.6 million in methamphetamine Tuesday while inspecting a tractor trailer at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas.
Mother Lode of Meth: @DFOLaredo @CBP officers at World Trade Bridge in #Laredo seize $18.6M in methamphetamine in truck hauling paint buckets. @HSI_SanAntonio is investigating. Read more: https://t.co/cHPyf130Zj pic.twitter.com/lSW7w3t21z
— CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) November 5, 2022
Officers discovered the stash of hard narcotics while the 2010 International Pro Star tractor trailer hauling paint buckets was undergoing a secondary, canine examination and inspection at the World Trade Bridge, according to a Saturday press release by CBP. (RELATED: CBP Confiscates $2.3 Million In Alleged Meth Near Mexican Border)
CBP officers seized a total of 2,033 pounds – which has a combined street value of $18,694,838 – of alleged methamphetamine in the tractor trailer, the press release notes. The seizure is currently under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents.
It is unclear if the tractor trailer underwent a secondary inspection as a result of a random search or if CBP officers needed more information to determine the vehicle’s admissibility into the U.S.
Regarding the massive seizure of narcotics, Port Director Albert Flores of the Laredo Port of Entry said in a statement, “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. This exceptional drug bust was an outstanding operation that highlights CBP’s commitment in combating the crimes carried out by transnational criminal organizations.”
The primary manufacturers and distributors of methamphetamine in US cities are Mexican drug trafficking organizations, according to a fact sheet by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).