Drug trafficking organizations keep turning to unconventional methods to conceal narcotics and avoid detection at U.S. ports of entry, including disguising large drug shipments as fruits and vegetables.
In February, Customs and Border Protection agents seized nearly two tons of methamphetamine hidden among a shipment of carrots. A similarly large seizure took place last week at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, where agents found more than $16 million worth of methamphetamine concealed inside a frozen mango shipment.
According to the Laredo Morning Times, the bust occurred on Sept. 9, when a CBP officer referred a tractor-trailer for secondary inspection. After conducting a nonintrusive scan and a canine sweep, officers discovered 733 packages of suspected methamphetamine hidden within the load of frozen mangoes.
Authorities reported the total weight of the seizure at approximately 1,790 pounds, with an estimated street value exceeding $16 million.
The drugs were immediately seized, and agents with Homeland Security Investigations launched a formal investigation, the newspaper reported.
"It is not unusual to encounter hard narcotics comingled with fresh produce, and our officers employed an effective combination of targeting and high-tech tools to take down this significant methamphetamine load," Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores told the Laredo Morning Times. "Seizures of hard narcotics on this scale underscore not only the pervasive nature of the drug threat but our steadfast commitment to keeping our border secure."
Methamphetamine has become one of the most heavily trafficked drugs into the United States. According to CBP data, the amount of meth seized this year along the U.S.–Mexico border is nearly four times higher than that of the next most commonly confiscated drug.
As of August, CBP agents operating along the southern border had seized close to 120,000 pounds of methamphetamine in fiscal year 2025, compared to 36,000 pounds of cocaine.
June saw the highest amount of methamphetamine confiscated in the region since at least 2022, with authorities seizing more than 22,000 pounds in a single month.
U.S. authorities are not the only ones making major methamphetamine seizures. As The Latin Times reported last week, the Mexican Navy dealt a significant blow to the La Mayiza faction of the Sinaloa cartel after dismantling two methamphetamine laboratories in Durango. The operation resulted in the seizure of 21 tons of processed drugs and chemical precursors, with an estimated street value of approximately $390 million.
The bust took place in the rural community of Carricitos, where Navy personnel discovered two clandestine facilities used for large-scale meth production. Officials confirmed that the seizure marked the largest seizure of finished methamphetamine by the Navy since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024.
In addition to the methamphetamine, authorities confiscated a large quantity of chemical precursors, including 1,000 liters of hydrochloric acid, 200 liters of acetic acid, 1,000 liters of toluene, 200 liters of benzyl cyanide, 250 liters of phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), 575 kilograms of caustic soda, and 200 kilograms of sodium cyanide. All materials were turned over to federal authorities.
According to the Mexican Navy, the drugs and chemicals seized in Durango would have produced an estimated 525 million doses of methamphetamine, preventing them from reaching the illegal drug market.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
