A truckload of methamphetamine disguised as a shipment of watermelons was seized at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing in San Diego, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The methamphetamine, valued at more than $5 million, was found Aug. 16 when the cargo aboard a tractor-trailer from Mexico was unloaded for a detailed inspection, the agency said in a statement.
Among real watermelons, officers found 1,220 packages wrapped in paper colored to look like watermelon skins.
That was the best they could do? A balloon?
I understand it’s a bit deflated, but my god. I reckon the smugglers could’ve landed at least six figures for a truck sized haul of hard drugs, so surely they could afford a better disguising apparatus than balloons.
Either way good riddance.
I firmly believe the cartels let some shipments get caught. $5 mil of meth really isn’t that much.
Maybe worse, it was colored paper. Given the money involved, why not use actual watermelons?!
Presumably enough still gets through that it’s not worth changing anything. We only see what we catch, who knows how much makes it past. It would be unrealistic to check every truck crossing the border thoroughly, so it just has to be good enough.
If you have a deal with the border agents you didn’t even need a deflated balloon.