Meth haul disguised as watermelons fails to fool US border agents

[Pelican Press 0]

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***** haul disguised as watermelons fails to fool US border agents

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The drugs were concealed in ********* wrapping to resemble watermelons

******* States border agents have intercepted a truck carrying more than $5m-worth of methamphetamine at the US-Mexico border hidden inside a shipment of watermelons.

The drugs were wrapped in plastic painted in two shades of green to resemble the fruit and placed among real watermelons.

More than two tonnes of methamphetamine – in a total of 1,220 packages – was seized by officers.

Stashing drugs among produce is a common way to smuggle the illicit substances across borders – banana shipments are the most popular but officers have recently found narcotics in Gouda cheese and avocados.

US Customs and Border Protection officials said their officers had stopped a truck hauling a trailer at the border with Mexico in Otay Mesa.

The paperwork suggested the driver was transporting a shipment for watermelons, but a inspection revealed the parcels containing methamphetamine.

Also known simply as *****, it is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant.

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In total, border agents found 1,220 parcels containing *****

The driver was handed over to Homeland Security officials.

The seizure came a week after officials at the same border crossing discovered almost 300kg of ***** in a shipment of celery.

Both hauls came to a total value of $6m,

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, the BBC’s US partner.

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The ***** in the celery shipment was discovered by a sniffer dog

******** ***** cartels are the leading producers and suppliers of methamphetamine to the ******* States.

In February, ******** security forces seized more than 40 tonnes of the ***** at the biggest lab to be discovered in recent years.

******** officials said the lab boasted more than 200 centrifuges, boilers and condensing chambers – key equipment used to make the chemical.

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#***** #haul #disguised #watermelons #fails #fool #border #agents

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