Federal law enforcement officers seized more than half a ton of cocaine worth over $20 million hidden in the floorboards of a commercial truck and attached flatbed trailer at the Calexico Port of Entry, according to a July 29 announcement. This seizure marks the second-largest cocaine confiscation in 2026 in the Southern District of California. The largest occurred in May, when more than a ton of cocaine valued at $45 million was found connected to a subterranean cross-border tunnel.
The driver and only occupant, Jose Manuel Lopez Lopez, was arrested and charged with illegally importing cocaine into the United States. Authorities described the amount seized as “a tremendous amount of drugs, even by the standards of this district,” according to the government’s motion to detain Lopez. He entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment in federal court. A detention hearing is scheduled for August 3 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lupe Rodriguez Jr.
Customs and Border Protection officers, along with agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, X-rayed the trailer after observing anomalies in its floorboards. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to possible contraband. After unloading 269 bundles of rebar from the trailer and unscrewing wooden planks from its floor, authorities discovered 366 packages containing approximately 1,002 pounds (454 kilograms) of cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Benjamin and Lawrence Casper are prosecuting this case against Lopez, who is identified as being from Mexicali, Mexico. He faces charges under Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 952 and 960 for importation of cocaine; if convicted, he could face up to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of Operation Take Back America under the California Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). The HSTF was established by executive order as an interagency partnership focused on eliminating criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within or targeting communities across the United States.