47 pounds of meth found in ice chest full of dead fish as car tries to cross US border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine concealed within an ice chest full of dead fish last Sunday, the agency said in a news release Wednesday.

The incident occurred around 8:39 p.m. local time at the Calexico West Port of Entry along the U.S.-Mexico border between California and Mexicali, according to the news release, when officers with the CBO San Diego field office encountered a 34-year-old man driving a sedan through the vehicle SENTRI lane.

After initial inspection, officers referred the driver and vehicle for further examination, where officers used the port's imaging system to screen the vehicle and noticed "irregularities" within an ice chest found in the trunk of the vehicle. A K-9 team responded and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, the agency said.

Officers discovered and extracted a total of 25 packages from the ice chest that weighed a total of 47 pounds. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, the CBP said in the news release.

The suspect was turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation, while the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP officers, according to the agency.

“Drug traffickers will go to great lengths in attempt to deceive our officers,” said Roque Caza, Calexico Area Port Director. “I’m proud of our highly trained officers working diligently every day to combat these dangerous drugs that have claimed so many lives.”

Agency credits 'Operation Apollo'

The agency said this seizure was a result of "Operation Apollo," a "holistic counter-fentanyl effort" that began in October 2023 in southern California, and expanded to Arizona in April 2024.

The operation focuses on "intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States," CBP said in the news release.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.