Methamphetamine worth more than $5 million has been seized by the U.S. Border Patrol during a routine check on vehicles at the Pharr Port of Entry in Texas on the Mexico border.

The narcotics were discovered in a tractor-trailer transporting a shipment of cucumbers and bell peppers. The drugs have an estimated street value of $5,163,496, according to Border Patrol.

The suspect was caught on Pharr International Bridge when they tried to enter the U.S. from Mexico on Sunday, June 30.

Authorities examined the vehicle after a nonintrusive inspection system. Upon further physical examination, officials deployed a K-9 team that altered Border Patrol to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

During a further inspection, officers discovered 360 packages containing a total of 577 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the trailer, according to a press release.

"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.

He added: "These types of seizures illustrate CBP's efforts to protect our communities from the spread of hard narcotics."

Pharr International Bridge stretches across the Rio Grande, along the U.S.–Mexico border. It connects the city of Pharr in Texas with Reynosa in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

Border Patrol seized the meth and Homeland Security has launched an investigation into the incident, which is ongoing. CBP officers regularly work alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement counterparts to halt the smuggling of narcotics.

The U.S. has seen a significant increase in methamphetamine seizures in recent years. Over 126,000 pounds of methamphetamine has been seized in 2024 so far, which has nearly surpassed the total amount confiscated in 2023.

Overall, CBP officers seized nearly 549,000 pounds of illicit substances nationwide in 2023. The most common seizures by officers were related to marijuana (150,000) and methamphetamine (140,000).

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and dangerous stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

The majority of meth entering the U.S. is produced by criminal organizations and cartels in Mexico. The drug is designed in small clandestine laboratories and is intended to be potent, and cheap for users to obtain.

According to a 2021 study conducted by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), roughly 2.5 million people aged 12 or over reported using methamphetamine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics indicates there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during 2023. This is a 3 percent decrease compared with the 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022.

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