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Avocados seized at US-Mexico border were hiding pounds of cocaine in Texas, feds say

Pounds of cocaine was found in a shipment of avocados attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, federal officials said.
Pounds of cocaine was found in a shipment of avocados attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, federal officials said. Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Border officials seized a trailer of produce that was concealing more than 37 pounds of cocaine making its way into the U.S., federal officials said.

The shipment of avocados stopped the cargo Sept. 13 at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas, according to a Sept. 16 news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

After taking a closer look, officers said they found 16 packages of cocaine, a schedule II narcotic.

It’s not the only time drugs have been found concealed in produce recently. In August, inspectors uncovered hundreds of fake watermelons hiding more than 4,500 pounds of methamphetamine at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing in California, federal officials said.

Officers at the crossing also intercepted a shipment of 629 pounds of methamphetamine hidden among a shipment of celery, the agency said.

Pharr is about a 230-mile drive south from San Antonio.

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This story was originally published September 16, 2024 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Avocados seized at US-Mexico border were hiding pounds of cocaine in Texas, feds say."

Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
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