San Diego Field Office CBP officers seize $38M worth of narcotics in May
From May 1 through May 31, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the San Diego Field Office encountered 165 separate smuggling attempts, seizing 4.31 pounds of marijuana, 21.73 pounds of heroin, 913.9 pounds of cocaine, 561.91 pounds of fentanyl, and 16,408.94 pounds of methamphetamine.
On one of these seizures, occurring on Monday, May 20, at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility, CBP officers extracted a total of 1,419 packages of narcotics concealed within a shipment of squash. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamines with a total weight of 11,469 pounds with an estimated street value of $18,350,400.
This seizure was the second largest San Diego Field Office methamphetamine seizure on record, and the largest nationwide.
The total estimated street value of the narcotics seized by San Diego CBP officers in May is $38,300,000.00.
These seizures are the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began in southern California on October 26, 2023, and later expanded to Arizona.
“These extraordinary efforts stand as a testament to the diligent and exceptional work by our officers,” said Sidney K. Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego. “The interdiction of these drugs not only disrupts criminal networks but also underscores the importance for continued vigilance and collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking.”
