Over 600 lbs. of meth found in celery shipment in Otay Mesa

More than 600 pounds of methamphetamine was found hidden inside a shipment of celery aboard a truck in Otay Mesa, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced this week.

The Aug. 9 seizure happened after a commercial tractor-trailer driver sought to cross into the United States from Mexico, but was directed to secondary inspection.

After a drug dog alerted officers to the celery shipment on the truck, CBP officers found 508 packages concealed among the vegetables, which contained 629.72 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $755,000, according to CBP.

The narcotics and the truck were seized, while the 34-year-old driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.   

CBP officials said the seizure was part of Operation Apollo, a multi- agency law enforcement operation largely targeting the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.