About 700 pounds of drugs worth more than $5.2 million were seized at the U.S.-Mexico border in California over the weekend, authorities said.

From Friday through Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers also captured 13 fugitives wanted on charges such as DUI, assault, burglary and probation violations and found two men hiding in a tractor trailer of Persian limes.

The seizures included more than 300 pounds of methamphetamine, 223 pounds of cocaine, 22 pounds of fentanyl, 77 pounds of marijuana and 45 pounds of heroin. The drugs were found hidden in such places as spare tires, gas tanks, car seats and panels.

One of the cases involved 34 pounds of cocaine worth $509,000 discovered stashed in a Lincoln Navigator’s transmission.


Officials said the driver, a 57-year-old Mexican citizen who is a legal permanent resident, was sent to secondary inspection around 10 a.m. Saturday at the San Ysidro port of entry. Officers were suspicious because his story had some inconsistencies. The drugs were found during the inspection.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com