Smugglers bag the substances and tuck them deep inside the battery casing.
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On a hot afternoon near the southern border, federal agents popped the hood of a car and found something no mechanic would expect. Instead of a normal battery, they discovered a stash of narcotics sealed inside.
It wasn’t a one-off trick, either. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that traffickers are increasingly turning car batteries into hiding spots for their cargo.
The agency explained that in recent months, officers have intercepted multiple cars with drugs stuffed into battery casings
Just last week, agents working alongside local law enforcement stopped a car in San Diego County. Hidden inside its battery, they uncovered a load of illegal drugs.
Officials said the concealment method is sophisticated enough to fool the casual eye, but not their screening techniques.
The substances discovered include meth, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin
All four rank among the most dangerous narcotics crossing the southern border.
Fentanyl in particular has been a focus for law enforcement, given its role in the nation’s overdose crisis. Officials said traffickers are constantly adapting, which makes spotting new smuggling techniques essential to keeping the upper hand.
CBP reported that the San Diego sector has already seized more than 10,000 pounds of methamphetamine this fiscal year
Alongside that, agents have confiscated 2,700 pounds of cocaine, 521 pounds of fentanyl, and 56 pounds of heroin, KCRA 3 News shared.
They emphasized that most of these seizures happened not at large ports of entry but through “roving patrols” and checkpoints across California. In other words, they’re finding most of what they seize hidden away inside cars.
The agency said every new tactic they uncover underscores the pressure drug networks face to move product.
By using everyday car parts as camouflage, traffickers hope to slip past scrutiny
For CBP, the challenge is staying one step ahead, since what looks like an ordinary battery might be anything but.
