$3 Million Worth Of Meth Disguised As Onions Seized In SD

SAN DIEGO, CA — Nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine disguised as an onion shipment was seized in San Diego, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Sunday.

At 1 p.m. on Feb. 20, officers stopped a 46-year-old driver of a tractor trailer with a shipment posing as onions. During inspection, officers waved the driver along for a more intensive examination of his cargo.

During the exam, a K-19 team screened the truck and trailer and alerted officers of the hidden packages.

Officers discovered 1,197 packages of meth, roughly 1,336 pounds. The narcotics are worth an estimated street value of $2.9 million, according to CBP.

"This was not only a clever attempt to try and smuggle in narcotics, one I haven’t seen before, but also time consuming to wrap narcotics into these small packages, designed to look like onions," said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego.

"These efforts show how effective our officers are, and as a response, the lengths drug trafficking organizations are willing to go to as they try to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. While we have certainly seen narcotics in produce before, it’s unusual for us to see this level of detail in the concealment."

The driver, who's name was not released, was arrested in connection with narcotic smuggling. The driver was a Mexican citizen and was turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The tractor, trailer and narcotics.