More than $10 million worth of hard narcotics were found in a shipment of jalapeño paste in San Diego last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said.
Authorities found 349 packages in vats of jalapeño paste containing over 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and over 500 pounds of cocaine at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The shipment was found in a commercial tractor-trailer being driven by a 28-year-old male with a valid border crossing card.
Customs and Border Protection officers were alerted to the suspicious shipment just after 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, when a K-9 inspection unit alerted them to inspect the jalapeño paste more closely.
“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.
The driver of the truck was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further processing, officials said.
Last month, the San Diego Field Office for U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 14,000 pounds of narcotics at California’s land ports of entry.
The news follows a series of successful drug busts offloaded in San Diego this month, after the U.S. Coast Guard seized over $239 million worth of cocaine from six different smuggling events.
