Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized over a million dollars' worth of cocaine this past week.
The seizure occurred when CBP officers stopped a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer and empty flatbed while applying for entry from Mexico into the United States.
A CBP K9 unit conducted an initial inspection of the truck and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. The driver, who held a valid border crossing card, was referred for further examination along with the vehicle.
During a secondary inspection, CBP officers employed non-intrusive inspection technology, which revealed anomalies in the truck. Upon examining the fifth wheel area of the tractor-trailer, officers discovered and extracted 65 packages. The contents were tested and identified as cocaine, weighing a total of 167.11 pounds, with an estimated street value of $1,270,000.