Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized over $17.4 million in methamphetamine from a tractor-trailer hauling a shipment of coconuts at the Mexico-Texas border.

The bust is one of many involving cartels slipping drugs across the border in fresh food shipments from Mexico, which is the largest supplier of vegetables to the U.S.

What Happened: While CBP officers conducted a secondary look at the tractor-trailer, their drug-detection doggies sniffed out 378 packages containing nearly 2,000 pounds of meth, which they seized then Homeland Security agents moved in to conduct a criminal investigation.

The bust, made at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas on Sept. 28, is the largest meth seizure in the history of the Hidalgo Port of Entry, the CBP reported.

“This seizure underscores the seriousness of the drug threat we face on a daily basis and the resolve of our officers to keep our communities safe,” said port director Carlos Rodriguez in a press release.

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Fruits, Veggies, Illicit Drugs From Mexico To US Tables

It stands to reason that Mexican cartels and drug producers would choose to smuggle their products among the $19-billion in annual food imports that enter the U.S. across the southern border.

Also worth noting is that 98% of food products from Mexico enter the U.S. by way of land ports between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

In that nearly 90% of Mexico’s horticultural exports are destined for the U.S., drug smugglers have lots of fruit and veggie boxes to choose from.

Huge Salad Of Nasty Drugs

Although the Justice Dept. points out that the U.S. citizens produce most of their own methamphetamine, border agents report having confiscated enough meth at the southern border this summer to ruin anyone’s appetite.

• CBP officers confiscated $48 million worth of meth stashed within a lettuce shipment at the Hidalgo Port of Entry in August.
• The same month, officials found more than $5 million in meth that was dressed in bright green plastic packages with stripes, making them look like small watermelons.
• Another shipment of meth was found hidden in a shipment of cucumbers and bell peppers during a routine check at the same Pharr Port of Entry in July.
• In late May, nearly six tons of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of green squash was confiscated.

CBP data shows that over 164,000 pounds of methamphetamine have been seized nationwide in 2024 alone.

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Photo: Meth in melons, courtesy of Customs and Border Protection