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On Monday, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Otay Mesa port of entry’s cargo facility successfully stopped a drug smuggling attempt. Nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills were discovered hidden inside two porcelain sinks. The seizure is believed to have prevented the distribution of an estimated $2.5 million worth of the dangerous drug. CBP officers apprehended a Mexican national, aged 45, who had presented a valid border crossing card and shipping manifest for two porcelain sinks.

The port’s imaging system detected irregularities in the cargo, prompting a canine detection team to be brought in for further inspection. The detection dogs successfully identified drugs concealed in the sinks, leading to the discovery of 12 packages containing approximately 858,000 blue pills. All of which tested positive for fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that has resulted in a rise in overdose deaths across the United States.

CBP officials have applauded their officers’ vigilance, experience, and expertise in detecting and intercepting the drug smugglers’ attempt. Rosa Hernandez, Port Director for the Otay Mesa port of entry, acknowledged that the traffickers continue to devise new and innovative ways to smuggle dangerous drugs across the border. Thus, the apprehension of the drug smugglers and their trafficking of over 189 pounds of fentanyl is a significant victory for CBP and the communities it serves, averting irrevocable harm that could have been inflicted through the distribution of such lethal drugs.

The seized fentanyl pills, weighing 189.15 pounds, could have resulted in an unfathomable number of tragic outcomes had they made it to the streets and fall into the wrong hands, affecting countless numbers of individuals and families. CBP officers’ interception is commendable, and the action prevented hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills from compounding America’s growing public-health crisis.

According to CBP statistics, this seizure is one of 821-recorded fentanyl seizures within the beginning of the fiscal year 2022-2023, which began October 2022 and is set to conclude in September 2023. In total, the agency recorded 4,430 seizures of marijuana, 1,602 seizures of cocaine, 8 seizures of heroin, and 5,014 seizures of methamphetamine during this fiscal year.

The CBP continues to maintain stringent measures to detect, surveil and intercept illegal drug smuggling at ports of entry. CBP’s interception of the fentanyl pills concealed within porcelain sinks has disrupted one instance of what could be many attempts by drug traffickers to unlawfully smuggle deadly drugs into the country and puts a spotlight on the significant role played by CBP officers to safeguard the public from harm.