Over $4 Million Worth of Meth Found Hidden Inside Tractor-Trailer

More than $4 million worth of methamphetamine was recently found hidden inside a tractor-trailer attempting to gain entry into the U.S. from Mexico.

According to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the incident occurred on March 25 at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge, which runs on the U.S.-Mexico border allowing entry into Texas. Over the past several months, CBP officers have continued to encounter individuals attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into the U.S.

CBP officers working on the bridge encountered a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico and attempting to gain entry into the U.S. According to the press release, the tractor-trailer was "manifesting a shipment of waterproof sealant."

As the tractor-trailer was attempting to gain entry into the U.S., CBP officers referred it for a secondary inspection, which included using a canine trained to sniff narcotics and a "non-intrusive imaging system inspection."

Following the secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered 219.13 pounds of alleged methamphetamine hidden within the shipment of waterproof sealant.

"The narcotics have an estimated street value of $4,382,744," CBP said in the press release.

A picture posted to Twitter by CBP South Texas showed the containers of waterproof sealant where the alleged narcotics were discovered.

According to CBP, after the narcotics were seized by border agents, the case was turned over to special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) for additional investigation. The driver of the tractor-trailer carrying the suspected narcotics was not identified by officials.

"Officers assigned to our cargo facilities utilize their enforcement expertise to target these high-risk commodities," Laredo Port of Entry Director Alberto Flores said in the press release. "It has led to the discovery of dangerous hard narcotics."

Flores continued, "Large-scale seizures, such as this one, exemplify our mission priorities in securing the border."

A similar seizure occurred on February 22 when CBP officers intercepted a commercial tractor-trailer that was carrying approximately $18 million worth of meth. According to CBP, agents discovered 1,348.83 pounds of suspected meth hidden within the trailer.

Newsweek also previously reported on an incident that occurred in early February when CBP agents seized over $2 million worth of suspected cocaine hidden within a commercial trailer.

According to data from CBP, in the first two months of this year, CBP agents have seized over 110,000 pounds of illegal narcotics across the nation's borders. Throughout January and February, CBP agents have competed over 12,000 different drug seizure events, the data shows.

Newsweek reached out to CBP for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.