Authorities seize 2.8 tons of methamphetamine and fentanyl along California border

Law enforcement officials seized 2.8 tons of methamphetamine and fentanyl powder last week at a US-Mexico border post in California, US Customs and Border Protection said on Wednesday. Officials said the drug is estimated to be worth more than $ 12.9 million and “is considered one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in the country’s history.”

“This amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine is enough to destroy countless lives and fund transnational criminal organizations,” Pete Flores, CBP’s director of field operations in San Diego, said in a statement. “I am proud of the efforts of our agents at all points of entry in the San Diego Field Office to intercept this and all attempted smuggling.”

Officials said that on August 5, CBP agents met Mexican citizen Carlos Gerardo Symonds Saavedra, 53, who was trying to cross the border with his truck and trailer. The manifesto said it was carrying a commercial shipment of plastic parts, according to the Justice Department. An initial scan of the truck and trailer revealed “anomalies,” according to CBP, requiring more detailed examination at an inspection dock. During this second inspection, a canine team indicated that there were illegal drugs in the trailer.

Officers seized 414 packages containing nearly 5,528 pounds of methamphetamine and 127 pounds of fentanyl powder at the cargo port of entry of Otay Mesa, California. Authorities also seized the vehicle.

Symonds Saavedra was arrested and faces federal charges carrying a maximum life sentence and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, as well as a fine of $ 10 million. He was taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego and turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations.

“While this drug seizure is significant, we know these transnational criminal organizations will continue to smuggle their illicit drugs across our border illegally,” Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent for San Diego Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement. . “HSI and its law enforcement partners will remain vigilant in our mission to prevent these drugs from crossing the border and entering our communities.”