California Onion Shipment Uncovers $3M Meth Bust

Authorities seized nearly $3 million worth of meth found in a tractor-trailer that was shopping onions this past week. 

An unnamed 46-year-old Mexican national was driving the vehicle when he was arrested at the Otay Mesa vehicle facility for allegedly attempting to smuggle the drugs. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection K-9 unit spotted the shipment during an exam, Complex reported.

A federal facility in San Diego revealed it found 1,197 small meth packages that weighed up to 1,336 pounds. The packages were shaped like onions to blend in and authorities claim it had an estimated value of $2.9 million.

“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, in a release. “While we have certainly seen narcotics in produce before, it’s unusual for us to see this level of detail in the concealment.”

This isn’t the first food-based drug bust of the year. Just last month, Colombian police found liquid cocaine hidden in a shipment of 20,000 coconuts and were on the way to Italy. The coconuts were being kept in 500 canvas bags

“Upon inspection, it was established that the water in the tropical fruit had been exchanged for liquid cocaine,” the Colombian national prosecutor’s office states during a press release.