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CBP seizes $12M worth of cocaine and fetanyl at Otay Mesa

Cocaine and Fentanyl seizure at Otay Mesa port of entry
Posted at 3:55 PM, Aug 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-18 18:55:36-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found more than $12 million worth of cocaine and fentanyl hidden in a shipment of heavy machinery gears at an Otay Mesa commercial facility.

In a press release, CBP says a truck driver applied for entry into the U.S. at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry at around 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 5.

The man, who was driving a 2009 Freightliner truck carrying a shipment that appeared to be heavy machinery gears, presented his valid Border Crossing Card to officers, the release says.

Following the initial inspection, a CBP officer screened the truck with a human/narcotics detector dog, which alerted to one of the mechanical gears in the shipment. During a more thorough physical inspection, officers noticed one of the gears seemed to have inconsistent work done on it compared to the others, the release says.

They then found and seized 362 packages of cocaine and 18 packages filled with fentanyl inside the heavy machinery, the release says. The cocaine weighed around 870 pounds, while the fentanyl was closer to 42 pounds in total.

Drugs found inside heavy machinery
Border patrol agents at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry found heavy packages of cocaine and fentanyl inside large heavy machinery gears on Aug. 5.

CBP estimates the narcotics have a combined street value of $12.8 million.

"No matter the size of the converyance and concealing method smugglers attempt to use, our officers are keen at discovering even the most minuscule inconsistencies," said Anne Maricich, CBP Acting Driector of Field Operations in San Diego. "Our officers will continue to prevent these deadly drugs from crossing our borders."

CBP says the driver was turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations unit for further processing.

Fentanyl and cocaine found inside heavy machinery
The cocaine found inside the gear weighed around 870 pounds, while the fentanyl was closer to 42 pounds in total, according to CBP.