Woman tries to sneak fentanyl across border inside burger

Where’s the beef?

Officials may have asked a similar question when they caught a woman trying to smuggle a sizable amount of fentanyl inside a cheeseburger.

Roger Maier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said the 27-year-old American tried to sneak the illicit fast food across the El Paso border on March 23.

The half-ounce of fentanyl was snug in the middle of the lettuce, cheese, meat and bread when it was found. A CBP picture showed a cellophane package in the wreckage of a juicy — albeit potentially deadly — burger.

In the photo, the burger appeared to come with a drink.

Maier said the seizure was the smallest of five busts made at the border in the last two weeks of March, totaling 62 pounds of methamphetamine, 25 pounds of fentanyl and 158 pounds of cannabis.

He said CBP also seized $162,000 in cash and arrested 44 fugitives.

“These seizures and arrests are a perfect example of the hard work that our CBP officers are doing on a daily basis,” Director of CBP Field Operations Hector A. Mancha said in a release. “We all have a professional and personal stake in working hard to keep our communities safe.”

According to CBP:

• On March 14, a 34-year-old American man was caught with almost a pound of meth strapped to his leg.
• On March 18, a 32-year-old American woman attempted to sneak around a quarter-pound of fentanyl inside her purse and herself.
• On March 21, a 34-year-old Mexican man tried to sneak 61 pounds of meth inside the gas tank of a vehicle.
• On March 26, a couple in their 20s from Mexico tried to smuggle 158 pounds of cannabis inside the door panels of a vehicle.

“In addition, 44 arrests were made for crimes such as embezzlement, child sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, larceny, alien smuggling, dangerous drugs, and driving under the influence,” Maier said. “The subjects arrested by CBP officers were turned over to federal/state authorities for prosecution.”