San Diego Field Office seizes more than $5 million worth of narcotics since April 1

SAN DIEGO - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers within the San Diego Field Office (SDFO) are recognized for their dedication and unwavering efforts in seizing 378 pounds of cocaine, 5 pounds of heroin, 825 pounds of methamphetamine, and 203 pounds of fentanyl in 52 separate drug smuggling attempts from April 1 to April 14. The 52 narcotics seizures have an estimated street value of $5,320,000.

On April 5, CBP officers inspected a set of speakers and discovered thousands of fentanyl pills concealed inside.

"Smugglers are continuously devising intricate plans to avoid detection, yet our CBP officers have a remarkable knack for adjusting, predicting, and ultimately exposing even the most sophisticated strategies," said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operation for San Diego. "I commend our officers for upholding a strong enforcement stance and effectively disrupting the influx of harmful narcotics."

All suspects involved in the drug trafficking attempts were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further investigation. The narcotics and any associated vehicles used to smuggle drugs were seized by CBP officers.

On April 11, CBP officers discovered more concealed fentanyl when a driver presented themselves for inspection.

These seizures are the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on October 26, 2023 in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo 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.

The San Diego Field Office is comprised of the following ports of entry: San Ysidro, San Diego Airport and Sea Port, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico West/East, and Andrade.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation's borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.