Federal agents in Tijuana seized 1,553 kilograms of methamphetamine on March 20 during a coordinated raid on a residential property, making it one of the largest single drug busts in the border city this year. The FGR (Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office), the National Guard, and the Mexican Army carried out the search warrant together.
Drugs Found in Boxes and a Pickup Truck
Officers discovered the crystal methamphetamine packaged in transparent bags stuffed inside cardboard boxes. The boxes were scattered across the property and also loaded into the back seats of a white pickup truck parked inside a closed garage on site. Authorities seized the vehicle along with an additional 2 kilograms of unidentified white powder.
The location has not been publicly identified beyond its description as a residential property. Tijuana, a city of roughly 2 million people directly south of San Diego, has long served as a major transit point for drugs heading north to the United States.
Nearly 2 Tons Seized in 48 Hours
Just two days before the March 20 operation, federal forces had already recovered 317 kilograms of crystal meth at a separate location in Tijuana. Combined, the two seizures totaled roughly 1,870 kilograms, or nearly 2 metric tons, in less than 48 hours.
The March operations come weeks after a related incident at the border itself. On March 5, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa crossing discovered nearly 429 kilograms (about 945 pounds) of liquid methamphetamine hidden inside the fuel tank of a commercial truck driven by a Tijuana resident. That driver now faces potential life imprisonment in the United States.
Tijuana sits at the center of well-established trafficking corridors controlled by rival cartels competing for access to the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry, two of the busiest land border crossings in the world. The city’s proximity to Southern California makes it a staging ground for shipments of meth, fentanyl, and other drugs bound for U.S. markets. Federal military and law enforcement patrols remain visible throughout Tijuana’s eastern colonias and industrial zones, where stash houses are frequently discovered.
No arrests were announced in connection with the March 20 raid. The FGR has not disclosed whether the seized drugs are linked to a specific cartel or ongoing investigation, according to Punto Norte.