SAN DIEGO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the San Diego Field Office ports of entry seized 554 pounds of cocaine, 229 pounds of fentanyl, and 1,650 pounds of methamphetamine, in 42 separate smuggling attempts from Feb. 19 through Feb. 25.
“By bolstering binational cooperation, sharing intelligence, and strengthening law enforcement efforts, CBP is stemming the tide of these transnational criminal organizations,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego. “CBP continues to maintain a robust enforcement posture and successfully prevents these dangerous drugs from reaching our communities.”
In total, an estimated $9,119,500 worth of narcotics were interdicted in 42 separate incidents. Suspects in these incidents were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation and processing. The narcotics and any associated vehicles used to smuggle the drugs were seized by CBP officers. The San Diego Field Office will continue to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to crack down on drug smuggling.
These seizures are part of Operation Apollo. Operation Apollo is a joint regional operation comprised of federal, state, and local agencies working to combat the threat from fentanyl, and other illicit synthetic narcotics. More information about Operation Apollo can be found here.
The San Diego Field Office is comprised of the following ports of entry: San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, San Diego air and seaport, Calexico East/West, Tecate, and Andrade.
Follow the Director of CBP’s San Diego Field Office on Twitter at @DFOSanDiegoCA for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.