U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Tecate Port of Entry intercepted 86.24 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a vehicle this week, according to the agency’s San Diego field office. The seizure, highlighted on the office’s social feed, was held up as another example of everyday vigilance at the mountain crossing that funnels traffic into the eastern side of San Diego County.
What The Field Office Posted
In a post from Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki, officers at the Tecate Port of Entry reported removing 86.24 pounds of methamphetamine from a vehicle and publicly applauded the Tecate team for its “vigilance & professionalism.” The social update stopped short of operational details, offering no information on the driver’s status or whether the case had been passed to investigative partners.
This week, @cbp officers at the Tecate Port of Entry intercepted 86.24 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a vehicle.👏 Huge shoutout to our Tecate team for their vigilance & professionalism!#OFOProud🇺🇸 #CBP#TecatePOE#BorderSecurity#DrugSmuggling#StopDrugSmugglingpic.twitter.com/zh2I6ZIvKB
— Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki (@DFOSanDiegoCA) December 5, 2025
How Officers Detect Concealed Loads
CBP routinely leans on non-intrusive imaging systems and canine enforcement teams to spot hidden compartments and other anomalies that trigger secondary inspections, techniques that have been spotlighted in recent Tecate drug interdictions. A CBP news release outlining multiple Tecate seizures this year describes how those layered tools are put to work in the field. Those same methods are central to regional efforts targeting fentanyl and other illicit synthetic drugs.
Tecate’s Recent Seizure Run
Tecate has been on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to narcotics seizures. Local coverage has documented a July 2024 interception of 133 pounds of meth and reporting on a week in February 2025 when officers seized more than 1,500 pounds across separate smuggling attempts, underscoring how traffickers keep trying new concealment tactics. A Hoodline article dug into one of those earlier cases in detail.
Oversight And Accountability
The Tecate crossing has also been in the spotlight for enforcement-integrity problems. Prosecutors said earlier this year that two former CBP officers pleaded guilty to conspiring to let drug-laden vehicles cruise through inspection lanes at Tecate and Otay Mesa. Federal authorities have framed those internal cases as part of a broader effort to protect the integrity of the inspection process. The U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed the charges and the guilty pleas…