Coffee, flour and milk helped hide 100 pounds of fentanyl at Mexico border, feds say
Men trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border concealed 100 pounds of fentanyl in flour bags, ground coffee, creamer and powdered milk cans, federal officials said.
Two men were found trying to transport the drugs hidden in food products around 10:50 p.m. on July 3, through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, California, from Mexico, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a July 14 news release.
The men, 43 and 50 years old, were in a 2005 GMC Yukon when they tried to enter the U.S., officials said.
They showed officers a passport and a California identification card.
When officers inspected the vehicle, they found packages wrapped in plastic hidden inside the food products, officials said.
Officers discovered 46 packages of fentanyl, which included 42 pounds of fentanyl powder and 59 pounds of fentanyl pills.
Both men were arrested and taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.
“We are seeing a rise in fentanyl smuggling attempts,” CBP deputy director of field operations in San Diego Anne Maricich said in the release. “Our officers are working vigilantly to prevent the entry of this dangerous drug. Our field office is also diligently working on mitigating the risks involved with seizing this lethal narcotic.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Coffee, flour and milk helped hide 100 pounds of fentanyl at Mexico border, feds say."
