‘Cucumbers and Jalapenos': Falsely Labeled $19M Narcotic Shipment Stopped at Texas Border

According to a release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a massive shipment of illegal narcotics totaling about $20,000,000 was stopped at the Pharr International Bridge port of entry. The shipment's manifesto falsely labeled the contents as "cucumber and jalapeno."

2,000 Pounds of Meth at Texas Border

On Feb. 4, border agents at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility stopped a tractor trailer seeking entry into the U.S. from Mexico. The truck was sent for review which included use of non-intrusive inspection technology and screening by a K9 team.

Officers were then able to extract 26 packages of what is allegedly heroin, totaling 7.53 pounds. They also found over 8,200 packages of alleged meth which came to a total weight of 2,217.85 pounds.

The overall price of the heroin came out to $144,500. The 8,200 packages of methamphetamine totaled a whopping $19,800,000.

After border agents seized the narcotics, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) opened a criminal investigation on the driver.

What's the Largest Bust Ever Recorded on the Texas Border?

Just last year, CBP officers made the largest seizure of meth in U.S. port of entry history: over six tons.

In this case, the tractor-trailer housing the contents had a manifesto that labeled the shipment as a drying agent for young pigs. Following a secondary inspection, over 13,000 pounds of methamphetamine was discovered.

In total, this record haul was priced at roughly $117 million of meth.

Laredo CBP Director of Field Operations Donald Kusser made the following statement following the record-breaking seizure:

"This gargantuan methamphetamine seizure, the largest ever taken down by CBP officers at a port of entry, uniquely illustrates the serious narcotics threat our officers face on a daily basis and their effectiveness at utilizing our technological enforcement tools, expertise and experience to zero-in on these threats.”