Border officers in California seized more than two tons of drugs over a two-day period, including packages of methamphetamine hidden in the middle of a large pallet of green onions, officials said Wednesday.
The drugs were discovered last month at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility near San Diego.
"The lengths drug trafficking organizations are willing to go to conceal and smuggle narcotics is a testament to how effective our officers are," Jennifer De La O, CBP Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office, said in a statement.
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The first seizure occurred on Oct. 20 when a 28-year-old man driving a tractor-trailer had a shipment he claimed contained green onions. The driver was referred for a secondary inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
During that search, border officers found 183 packages of methamphetamine hidden in the pallet of onions, authorities said. The drugs weighed nearly 1,529 pounds and were worth $3.3 million.
The next day, officers found meth and cocaine hidden in a tractor-trailer driven by a 29-year-old man who said he was transporting electronics.
A canine team screened the truck, and they discovered 195 packages of methamphetamine and 75 packages of cocaine hidden within a false wall, authorities said. The drugs were worth more than $24 million.
Both men were arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the United States, and the trucks were handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations.
