Cocaine Seizure Worth $20 Million at Calexico US‑Mexico Border

Federal agents seized more than 1,000 pounds (454.6 kg) of cocaine hidden in the floorboards of a commercial truck and its flatbed trailer at the Calexico Port of Entry, California, the crossing that links the United States and Mexico. The haul, packed in 366 packages, was valued at roughly $20 million, making it the second‑largest cocaine seizure in the Southern District of California for 2026. The driver, 44‑year‑old Mexican national Jose Manuel Lopez Lopez, was arrested, charged with illegal importation and has pleaded not guilty; he faces a minimum ten‑year sentence and up to life imprisonment. The operation involved Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the California Homeland Security Task Force under Operation Take Back America.