Largest Single Fentanyl, Meth Bust in History East of San Diego

On Sunday, February 26th US Customs and Border Patrol agents made the largest single bust of fentanyl and meth in the history of this busy US port of entry.

   Over $1 Million worth of drugs seized

The Andrade Port of Entry is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, points of entry from Mexico into the US.  The area is located about 100 miles east of San Diego, and a little over 20 miles south of Blythe, CA.

Sunday afternoon, around 1:13 PM USCBP (US Customs and Border Patrol) agents came across a 37-year-old woman, who was a US Citizen, who was driving a 2016 pickup and seeking to cross the border.

A preliminary inspection by an agent led to the truck being 'set aside' for further inspection. Utilizing the ports imaging system, agents noticed what they said were irregularities with the truck's gas tank. The truck also was 'hit' on by a drug sniffing K-9.

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Upon futher inspection, agents found a record amount of drugs on board the vehicle, hidden in a space that smugglers hoped would be concealed by putting it in a compartment inside the fuel tank. According to the USCBP: 

"After a thorough inspection, CBP officers discovered a total of 76 packages concealed within the gas tank. It was determined that 46 packages were fentanyl pills weighing nearly 54 pounds and an estimated street value of $746,590 and 30 packages of methamphetamine weighing slightly more than 32 pounds and an estimated street value of $211,990."

Those combined numbers made it the largest single drug bust in the history of the Andrade Crossing.

According to the USCBP:

"The narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP officers. The driver was turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further processing."