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Border Officials Seize $38 Million Worth Of Meth Hidden Within Kale Shipment

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Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized $38 million worth of methamphetamine Saturday, hidden inside a shipment of kale.

Shortly after noon on Saturday, CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility pulled over a 34-year-old man driving a tractor-trailer with a shipment of kale for a secondary inspection, according to the official CBP website. During the non-intrusive inspection, a CBP officer identified irregularities that led to the discovery of the meth concealed within the kale.

A total of 268 packages of meth were found within kale, weighing a total of 5,788.41 pounds, CBP continued. The total estimated street value of the shipment was $38,070,910.

“The collaborative effort of our CBP officers to achieve a common goal is remarkably inspiring,” Port Director for the cargo facility Rosa Hernandez said in the press release from CBP. “Our officers exemplify this every day as they dedicate themselves to protecting and serving their communities with unwavering commitment and outstanding work.”

The driver of the vehicle was detained for attempted narcotics smuggling and turned over to the Department of Homeland Security, CBS noted.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive narcotic but has changed significantly over the last decades due to new methodologies for manufacturing, according to expert author Sam Quinones. While a majority of meth was made with ephedrine, the modern method uses phenyl-2-propanone (P2P). (RELATED: Walmart Announces Plans To Settle Opioid Lawsuit With $3.1 Billion)

When combined with the opioid crisis, experts have linked P2P meth with America’s mental illness and homeless epidemics. The side effects of P2P meth include “violent paranoia, hallucinations, conspiracy theories, isolation, massive memory loss, jumbled speech” and can make people with no history of mental illness go “mad,” Quinones noted.