U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have made a major bust, seizing meth worth $5.1 million concealed in a shipment of bell peppers and cucumbers. The bust occurred at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas on June 30th.

The officers, part of the CBP’s Office of Field Operations, detected the **577.61 pounds** of methamphetamine across **360 packages** while performing a secondary inspection with non-intrusive inspection tools and CBP canines. The approximate street value of the seized narcotics is $5,163,496.

Our frontline CBP officers continue to deploy a strategic combination of inspections experience coupled with technology and that effort yielded this significant methamphetamine seizure, said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Laredo Port of Entry, emphasizing the importance of such efforts in safeguarding our communities.

Meth Trafficking Through Legal Ports

A significant issue at the southern border is the sheer volume of traffic, making it challenging to inspect every vehicle faithfully. At San Ysidro, for instance, approximately **70,000 vehicle passengers** travel from Mexico into the United States daily.

We need to start closing those gaps, scanning more, remarked Robert Watt, CBP’s director of Non-Intrusive Inspection Division, highlighting the ongoing challenge.

This recent seizure underscores how methamphetamine is often smuggled via official entry points, coming within close proximity to Customs and Border Protection officers.

Past Seizures Highlight Persistent Challenge

This isn’t an isolated case for the Pharr International Bridge. Just two weeks prior, CBP officers there intercepted more than **1,400 pounds of marijuana**, stealthily hidden inside another tractor trailer.

This seizure of a large amount of marijuana illustrates that it indeed still generates income for smuggling organizations, Rodriguez noted in reference to another significant bust by the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

Cumulative Efforts Yield Results

The 2024 fiscal year has seen considerable drug seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection—over **126,000 pounds of meth**, **124,000 pounds of marijuana**, **48,200 pounds of cocaine**, nearly **14,000 pounds of fentanyl**, and **5,500 pounds of ketamine**.