Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Import Cargo Facility in San Diego seized nearly half a ton of liquid methamphetamine on March 2. The drugs were found hidden inside the fuel tank of a 2019 Kenworth T680 commercial tractor-trailer.
The driver, Oscar Alonzo Cesena Camacho, a 26-year-old Mexican citizen from Tijuana traveling on a business visa, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to authorities, an officer noticed a white crystalline substance on top of the passenger-side fuel tank during an inspection at around 11:20 a.m.
Further examination revealed 29 buckets of liquid concealed in the same fuel tank, totaling approximately 428.60 kilograms (944.90 pounds). Field tests indicated that the substance was methamphetamine.
Oscar Alonzo Cesena Camacho faces charges under Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952 and 960 for Importation of a Controlled Substance. If convicted, he could receive up to life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and face fines up to $10 million.
Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are leading the investigation. Authorities noted that “the charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
A further search led to the discovery of 29 buckets-worth of liquid hidden within the vehicle’s passenger-side fuel tank.
