$10 million worth of drugs seized from semi’s shipment of jalapeño paste

This week, authorities in California seized thousands of pounds of drugs from a semi’s shipment of jalapeño paste.

Around 10:30 a.m. on December 13, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility in Otay Mesa, California, encountered a semi truck driven by a 28 year old male with a valid border crossing card.

The truck’s shipment was manifested as jalapeño paste.

The truck was referred for a secondary inspection using a canine unit.

After the dog alerted to the shipment, officers performed a physical inspection.

From CBP:

CBP officers discovered and extracted a total of 349 suspicious packages from vats of jalapeno paste. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a weight of 3,161.43 pounds and cocaine with a weight of 522.50 pounds.

The estimated street value of the seized drugs is $10,430,000.

The drugs and the tractor trailer were seized by CBP.

The truck driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations.

“Our K-9 teams are an invaluable component of our counter-narcotics operations, providing a reliable and unequalled mobile detection capability,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa Port Director. “By implementing local operations under Operation Apollo and CBP’s Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and other Synthetic Drugs, we will continue to secure communities and stifle the growth of transnational criminal organizations, one seizure after another.”