OTAY MESA, CALIFORNIA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers pulled 944 pounds of liquid methamphetamine from the fuel tank of a tractor-trailer at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility on March 2, 2026. The drugs filled 29 five-gallon buckets. Officers found them mixed directly into the diesel fuel.
A 26-year-old Mexican citizen drove the tractor-trailer into the facility seeking entry into the United States from Mexico. The initial screening raised concerns. Officers flagged the vehicle for a secondary inspection. In the secondary area, CBP ran the truck through nonintrusive inspection technology. Officers then opened the fuel tank and inserted a probe. It hit something unusual — an unknown gel-like substance mixed into the diesel. They pulled out 29 five-gallon buckets of the liquid. It field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Total weight: 944 pounds.
Officers handed the driver over to Homeland Security Investigations. CBP seized both the drugs and the tractor-trailer.
“Thanks to the vigilance and expertise of our officers, we successfully intercepted 944 pounds of liquid methamphetamine concealed within the fuel tank of a tractor-trailer,” said Otay Mesa Port Director Rosa Hernandez. “This significant seizure demonstrates our ongoing commitment to protecting our borders and preventing dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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