Customs agents find more than $3M of cocaine hidden in shipment of limes

OTAY MESA, Calif. — You put the lime in the coconut, Harry Nilsson sang in 1972. Last week, someone attempted to smuggle the limes with the cocaine at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officers discovered $3.3 million worth of cocaine, in a shipment of the citrus fruit at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego.

The seizure came after a 42-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer tried to cross into California from Mexico at about 11:30 a.m. PST on Feb. 22, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The truck’s manifest said it was carrying Persian limes, but a drug-screening dog alerted officers to the shipment, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection release stated.

Customs officers discovered 158 packages. After they were tested, officials said the packages contained 435 pounds of cocaine, KGTV reported.

The drugs had an estimated street value of $3,355,800, the CBP said.

The narcotics and truck were seized, and the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, according to the Union-Tribune.

“Rain or shine our officers work tirelessly to ensure our communities are free of these dangerous drugs,” Rosa Hernandez, Port Director for the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, said in a statement. “I’m proud of the efforts our officers make day in and day out.”

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