Celery was used to conceal more than 2,500 pounds of methamphetamines that federal agents discovered in a truck at a farmers market outside Atlanta, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.
In what the DEA called one of the largest seizures of its kind, agents confiscated the drugs, valued in total at approximately $3.2 million, being delivered to the Atlanta State Farmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia.
The agency had learned about a semitrailer coming across the Mexican border and agents tracked the drugs to the farmer's market, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert Murphy. The drugs were found inside the truck, he said.
RELATED STORY | FDA says it seized counterfeit Ozempic
"This was contained in a cover load of celery," Murphy said. "It was hiding in the celery. Obviously, we threw away the celery. That didn't make it to the store."
The driver, a Mexican citizen, was arrested, WAGA-TVreported. The DEA later identified him as Jesus Martinez.
Using produce to conceal drugs has become a frequent tactic of smugglers, authorities said.
"This is a significant and unbelievable amount of drugs to be shipped at one time and to a destination this far from the border," Murphy said. "It also shows the confidence of the cartel behind this."
The DEA said its investigation is ongoing as it prioritizes defeating the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, which it says are responsible for the majority of the fentanyl and methamphetamine-related deaths in America.
RELATED STORY | Authorities seized over 115 million illegal fentanyl pills in 2023
