HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators say they stopped 700 pounds of cartel methamphetamine from coming into metro Atlanta after a traffic stop revealed the drugs hidden in cucumber boxes.
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Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes was at DEA headquarters in DeKalb County when officials described the unusual way the drugs were hidden.
They were tucked into the creases of cardboard boxes, so when the truck crossed the border and the boxes went through the X-ray machines, agents didn’t see the drugs.
DEA Special Agent Jae Chung said the 700 pounds of meth has an approximate street value of $4.5 million, which is ultimately revenue denied to the cartels.
Chung said the huge drug seizure started with a tip, and that turned into a traffic stop in Gainesville last week.
Investigators haven’t arrested the driver of the tractor-trailer full of methamphetamines, concealed in the cucumber boxes, because they’re still trying to figure out if the driver is involved.
They did arrest two suspects they believe were receiving the shipment in Gainesville.
Andres Jasso Jr. and Rufino Pineda-Perez were charged with possession of meth with an intent to distribute. Officials said Pineda-Perez was not an American citizen, and he has been deported at least twice.
“Thanks to the diligent work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, a tremendous amount of meticulously concealed methamphetamine was located, was seized, and will never hit the street,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will aggressively prosecute criminals who attempt to use North Georgia as a distribution hub for their deadly poisons.”
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