Authorities Find Over a Dozen Pounds Of Fentanyl Inside a Crock-Pot Filled With Meat

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Border agents seized over a dozen pounds of fentanyl hidden inside a crock-pot filled with meat.

The incident took place in a port of entry in Nogales, Arizona, when agents became suspicious after seeing a person attempting to enter the country with a large crock-pot filled with meat.

The man in question, Jose Armando Longoria, was then asked to put the appliance down to be inspected, according to Border Report. He said there was nothing unusual, but agents noticed it was particularly heavy and brought out a drug-sniffing dog, which indicated there were narcotics inside.

After opening the appliance, agents found 11 bags of blue pills that tested positive for fentanyl. Overall, there were more than 7 kilos of the substance. Longoria said it was the first time he was attempting to smuggle drugs after being asked to do so several times. He added that he was offered $100 for the attempt. He is now facing charges of possession of 400 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute.

The case is far from the first in which a smuggler attempts to conceal drugs inside food. Earlier this month, a man was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine inside cabbage heads.

The man, Jose Angel Ibarra-Rojas, was found guilty of possessing with intent to distribute close to $3 million worth of meth. Concretely, he has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The incident in question took place in June last year. Court documents showed that the vehicle in which Ibarra-Rojas was moving was stopped by law enforcement in Pharr, Texas. After being searched, officers found over 1,100 packages concealed within the cabbages in the cargo area. Overall, there was more than 1.3 kilos of meth inside the vegetables.

In April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Pharr intercepted more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of chayote squash.

The cargo, valued at $8.9 million, was concealed in 3,770 packages inside a tractor-trailer arriving from Reynosa, Mexico.

Back in November, CBP officers at the same Pharr facility uncovered a $31 million shipment of methamphetamine hidden among serrano peppers. That load, weighing approximately 2,155 pounds, was also found inside a tractor-trailer entering from Mexico and flagged after an X-ray scan raised suspicions.