A truck driver who claimed to be hauling strawberries aboard his tractor trailer from Mexico into the U.S. was arrested Saturday after customs officers stationed at a border crossing found nearly $13 million worth of methamphetamine on board.

The driver, a 42-year-old Mexican man, was flagged down and inspected by a Customs and Border Protection officer working at the Pharr International Bridge.

The truck was directed to the cargo processing center's massive, noninvasive X-ray machine, which CBP uses to scan a vehicle for illegal items without having to open it up. The truck was moved to the cargo processing center's docks where drug-sniffing dogs alerted law enforcement to narcotics.

When the truck was unloaded, CBP officers found 350 packages of methamphetamine that weighed 906 pounds. The meth was worth $12.7 million in street value.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection



“This was an outstanding interception our officers accomplished this weekend,” Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry Director David Gonzalez said in a statement. “Our officers’ astute sense of awareness and tenacity is unparalleled and truly commendable.”

The driver was arrested and later transferred into the custody of Homeland Security Investigations, a component of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

[Opinion: Drug smugglers bring 700 lbs of cocaine into US, then flee into Mexico across border with no physical barrier]