Dog detects nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills stashed in porcelain sinks at border, feds say

An accused smuggler tried to hide nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills inside two porcelain sinks at a border crossing from Mexico into California, federal officials reported.

Agents stopped a vehicle carrying the sinks for inspection at the Otay Mesa point of entry at 3:30 p.m. June 26, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.

The 45-year-old driver had proper paperwork for the sinks, but inspectors found “anomalies” and a K9 team detected drugs, officials said.

The sinks hid 12 packages containing a total of about 858,000 fentanyl pills weighing nearly 200 pounds and worth an estimated $2.6 million, officials said.

The driver was turned over to Homeland Security for further processing, officials said.

The Otay Mesa port of entry in California near San Diego is the busiest commercial port in California, federal officials said.

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Dog detects nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills stashed in porcelain sinks at border, feds say."