In just 1 month, border agents confiscate more than ton of drugs at 1 port of entry

Aug. 29 (UPI) -- For the month of July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at California's San Ysidro port of entry confiscated more than a ton of narcotics, officials said Thursday.

CBP officers at this one location seized a combined total of 2,627.80 pounds of narcotics in 50 separate incidents, officials said.

Of the kinds of drugs captured, methamphetamine was the biggest haul at 2,266 pounds. Agents confiscated more than 173 pounds of fentanyl while also capturing almost 170 pounds of cocaine. Agents also took in more than 18 pounds of heroin.

CBP officials said in a statement that all the illicit drugs were taken from suspected smugglers applying for admission to the United States from Mexico. The narcotics were concealed in vehicles trying to cross through the port of entry and into the United States.

The month's collection of confiscated drugs was valued in the millions, CBP officials said, though they did not give a detailed amount.

The suspects involved in the incidents were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations, CBP said in the statement.

"CBP Officers will continue to use their skill sets and knowhow to intercept illegal and illicit narcotics that are encountered at the port of entry," said Mariza Marin, port director for San Ysidro. "Our staff is fully invested in safeguarding the American people from these harmful substances and demonstrate the highest levels of service to our nation through their extraordinary efforts each and every day."

The seizures were made as part of Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl effort that began on fall of 2023 in southern California and expanded to Arizona in spring of this year.

Also on Thursday, CBP announced that officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge in Texas seized more than $910,000 in methamphetamine in a single enforcement action this week.