PHARR, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than half a ton of illegal drugs from a semi truck's shipment of fresh produce passing through a Texas Port of Entry, the agency said.
Around 8 p.m. on October 30, a semi truck approached the Pharr Port of Entry seeking entry to McAllen, Texas. After a canine unit alerted to the truck, officers discovered cylindrical packages hidden among a shipment of leeks.
CBP seized 1,082.47 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $984,063, according to the agency's account of the seizure, reported on November 4.
The Pharr International Bridge cargo facility is a key crossing connecting Pharr, Texas, with Reynosa, Mexico. Officers at the facility routinely use canine teams and non-intrusive imaging to screen commercial shipments before carrying out physical inspections when anomalies are found.
The seizure was reported as part of a wider pattern of drug smuggling concealed in produce shipments at the Texas border. In a separate case in August, officers at the same bridge found 1,204.82 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at about $10.75 million, hidden in a shipment manifested as leeks.
Homeland Security Investigations has launched a criminal investigation into the October seizure, according to the reporting. CBP did not immediately release details about the driver or any arrests in connection with the load.
