Almost $400 million in narcotics were seized from trucks attempting to cross from Mexico into the U.S. during 2020.
Everything from shipments of tomatoes, avocados, jalapenos and broccoli, to loads of cobblestones, lighting fixtures and electronic equipment were used in attempted smuggling cases at the border.
Here are five of the biggest U.S.-Mexico border drug busts this year.
1. Mexican police find $62M in drugs in abandoned truck near border
Mexican authorities found 25,000 pounds worth of narcotics hidden inside a tractor-trailer that was abandoned just south of the Mexican border on Dec. 6. The drugs found included 8,810 pounds of fentanyl and 13,216 pounds of heroin.
2. CBP finds $61M worth of drugs in loads of cactus and limes
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) found a combined $61 million worth of methamphetamine and marijuana on Aug. 7, in two separate shipments of cactus and lime from Mexico at the Otay Mesa border crossing.
3. $37M in meth discovered in fresh tomato shipment
Agents at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility in South Texas discovered 1,853 pounds of crystal meth on Dec. 19, in a shipment of fresh tomatoes from Mexico.
4. $31M in methamphetamine hidden in truck’s roof
Agents at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge seized 1,527 pounds of methamphetamine on July 9. The meth was concealed in the roof of a tractor-trailer carrying imported fresh onions from Mexico.
5. Truck carrying $30 million in liquid meth seized in El Paso
Agents working at the Ysleta port of entry in El Paso, Texas, seized 1,543 pounds of liquid methamphetamine on Feb. 12. The methamphetamine was hidden in a shipment of cleaning supplies being imported from Mexico.
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