Customs and Border Protection agents are putting the squeeze on a group of drug peddlers who tried to smuggle methamphetamine wrapped as watermelon across America’s Southern border.

The seedy situation emerged when officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility at San Diego, California, ordered a secondary inspection of a tractor-trailer allegedly containing a shipment of watermelons being transported from Mexico Friday. 

After offloading the contents of the vehicle, the officials soon realized that the watermelon mounds were actually packages of meth covered with green striped wrapping paper. And 4,587 pounds of meth at that. 

“Upon careful inspection, officers uncovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within the shipment. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, with a total weight 4,587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeds $5 million,” Customs and Border Patrol wrote in a statement.

The 29-year-old driver is being further investigated and is currently in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security.

The watermelon discovery comes just a week after smugglers attempted to bring in 630 pounds of meth hidden within a celery shipment passing through the same facility. The loot was valued at approximately $755,000. 

The confiscation marks a ramp-up in counter-fentanyl measures directed under Operation Apollo, which was launched in southern California in October of 2023. The operation focuses on “intelligence collection and partnerships” in order to target the smuggling of Fentanyl into the country. 

“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods,” the Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa, Rosa Hernandez, said. “As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country.”

The Otay Mesa crossing is just one of three major ports connecting San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.