U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge intercepted a significant drug smuggling attempt on December 12, discovering more than 1,156 pounds of methamphetamine concealed within a commercial shipment of oat flakes arriving from Mexico.
CBP officers selected a tractor trailer hauling the cereal ingredients for additional inspection using nonintrusive scanning equipment and drug detection canines. A subsequent physical inspection revealed 64 packages of alleged methamphetamine with a combined weight of 1,156.32 pounds (524.50 kg) hidden inside the oat flake shipment. Federal agents estimated the street value at $10,336,846.
“Our frontline CBP officers shut down a significant meth smuggling attempt hidden within ingredients that shouldn’t grace anyone’s breakfast table,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Port Director at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “As this seizure perfectly illustrates, our officers continue to use their inspections skills and technological tools to prevent this poison from reaching American streets.”
CBP officers seized the narcotics, tractor, and trailer. Homeland Security Investigations special agents have initiated a criminal investigation into the case.
The seizure underscores the scope of methamphetamine trafficking along the southern border and the detection methods CBP uses at ports of entry to intercept contraband before it enters the United States.
