Federal officers seized more than $20 million in cocaine concealed beneath the floorboards of a commercial truck's flatbed trailer at California's Calexico Port of Entry, according to FreightWaves. The discovery highlights the inspection risk that routine-looking cross-border truck shipments can carry for logistics operators, brokers, and carriers.
Seizure details
FreightWaves reported that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers X-rayed the attached flatbed during the border inspection. The scan showed anomalies in its wooden floorboards, after which a drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the equipment. Investigators unloaded 269 bundles of rebar before removing the planks.
Below the boards they found 366 packages of cocaine weighing 1,002.13 pounds (454.56 kilograms), according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The driver, Jose Manuel Lopez Lopez, 44, was the truck's only occupant and had entered the United States from Mexicali, Mexico. Officers arrested him following the discovery.
Federal prosecutors described the amount as:
A tremendous amount of drugs, even by the standards of this district.
Second-largest cocaine seizure of 2026
The Calexico recovery is the Southern District of California's second-largest cocaine seizure during 2026, according to FreightWaves. The larger May investigation began with a months-long task force inquiry into a supposed retail store near Otay Mesa. Agents found a 1,933-foot cross-border tunnel stretching from Tijuana to the business, reaching roughly 55 feet deep with reinforced walls, rails, ventilation, and electricity, the article said.
Authorities estimated that May recovery — 1,029.60 kilograms (2,269.87 pounds) of suspected cocaine — was worth more than $45 million. Investigators found the tunnel's exit beneath a storage-room floor at the Buy 4 Less store, with a hydraulic lift concealing the access point, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Four people were charged in that case.
| Detail | Calexico floorboard seizure | Otay Mesa tunnel seizure |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Calexico Port of Entry | Buy 4 Less store near Otay Mesa |
| Cocaine quantity | 1,002.13 lbs / 454.56 kg | 1,029.60 kg / 2,269.87 lbs |
| Estimated value | More than $20 million | More than $45 million |
| Concealment method | Beneath flatbed trailer floorboards | 1,933-ft tunnel under storage room |
| Defendants | Jose Manuel Lopez Lopez | Four people |
Driver charged in federal court
Lopez pleaded not guilty at his federal arraignment on July 28, according to FreightWaves. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lupe Rodriguez Jr. scheduled a detention hearing for Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. The case is docketed as number 26-mj-08705, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Benjamin and Lawrence Casper prosecuting.
The charge — importing cocaine into the United States under Title 21, U.S. Code, Sections 952 and 960 — carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a potential maximum of life in prison, the article reported. The California Homeland Security Task Force investigated and prosecuted the matter through Operation Take Back America, with CBP, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) handling the investigative work. The charge remains an accusation, and Lopez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
What this means for freight operations
Criminal organizations can use legitimate commercial equipment and ordinary cargo to conceal high-value contraband, according to FreightWaves. For freight forwarders, brokers, and carriers, a routine-looking shipment can carry risks beyond theft or fraud — including border inspection delays, asset holds, and criminal exposure.
The use of rebar as cover cargo and a flatbed with wooden floorboards is a reminder that inspection crews are now X-raying trailers and deploying detection dogs on commercial equipment at ports of entry such as Calexico. Shippers moving cross-border loads should confirm driver and load documentation, expect possible secondary inspections, and understand that enforcement efforts coordinated through Operation Take Back America remain active.
FreightWaves is also promoting its F3: Future of Freight Festival, F3 Awards Dinner, and Brokerage Compliance Symposium, with compliance issues including fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, and insurance gaps on the agenda for logistics professionals.
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