What started as a secondary inspection of a commercial tractor-trailer at the Calexico East commercial facility turned into a massive drug bust on Wednesday, as Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted more than 1,000 pounds of liquid methamphetamine, according to the agency’s San Diego field office. Local leadership hailed the seizure as a major enforcement win, and images shared by the agency showed stacked containers and officers working an inspection dock as the haul was catalogued.
CBP’s announcement
Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki announced the interception in a post on X, calling it a “huge bust” of more than 1,000 pounds of liquid methamphetamine stopped at the Calexico East Commercial Facility. Officers sent the commercial tractor-trailer to secondary inspection before discovering the narcotics. The post included several photos from the scene, but did not identify any suspects or list specific charging details.
That’s not the kind of liquid we want crossing the border! 🚫💧@CBP officers at the Calexico East Commercial Facility had a huge bust of over 1000 lbs of liquid meth. Way to keep the bad stuff off our streets! #OFOProud🇺🇸 #CBP #SDFO #BorderSecurity pic.twitter.com/ajX86cGB4p
— Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki (@DFOSanDiegoCA) April 22, 2026
Part of a regional surge
The Calexico find is the latest in a run of high-volume narcotics interdictions across CBP’s San Diego Field Office, which has been logging hefty seizure totals in recent weeks. As reported by KYMA, the San Diego Field Office recently tallied thousands of pounds of methamphetamine seized across the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Calexico ports in a single monthly recap. Calexico itself has seen multiple sizable seizures in prior years, with officers uncovering meth stashed in different types of cargo and in hidden vehicle compartments.
How smugglers hide liquid meth and what that means legally
Liquid meth is often hidden in fuel systems, tanks and false compartments, which makes those targeted secondary inspections critical if officers want to find it before it crosses the line. In an earlier case this month at the Otay Mesa cargo facility, investigators pulled dozens of containers from a tractor-trailer’s fuel tank, and federal prosecutors later filed importation charges, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release. When large drug loads are intercepted at ports of entry, CBP typically seizes the vehicle involved and turns over the evidence and any suspects to Homeland Security Investigations for criminal processing.
What comes next
Aki’s X post stopped short of releasing further investigative details, and officials have not yet provided information about any suspects or charges tied to the Calexico case. The evidence and any persons of interest are likely to be reviewed by HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as the investigation moves forward. Local coverage notes that CBP continues to urge anyone with information about smuggling activity to contact the agency online or through its established tip lines, according to Times of San Diego.
