Increasing Use of Car Batteries in Drug Smuggling Operations

()  Drug smugglers are becoming increasingly innovative at the southern border, with vehicle batteries recently becoming a popular method of transportation.

The U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector has uncovered a concerning pattern of smugglers hiding dangerous narcotics inside car batteries.

Since April 2025, agents have had “four different seizures that involved basically removing the contents of the battery and using the battery as a containment device for narcotics,” Joseph Rood, a Border Patrol spokesman, told ‘s Border Report.

Recent drug seizures involving vehicle batteries in San Diego

The most recent drug seizure involving a vehicle battery occurred Aug. 20, when Border Patrol agents stopped a car in Carlsbad, a city in northern San Diego County. A search led to the discovery of 9.25 pounds of cocaine and 2.1 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside the battery.

In July, agents uncovered over 20 pounds of fentanyl hidden inside vehicle batteries during two separate drug smuggling attempts.

In April, a vehicle search led to the discovery of over 30 pounds of fentanyl concealed inside the vehicle’s battery.

“As we continue to gain, maintain, and expand operational control of the southern border, smugglers are going to great lengths to push dangerous drugs into this country,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector Jeffrey D. Stalnaker.

According to the Border Patrol, the San Diego Sector has seized 10,696 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,751 pounds of cocaine, 521 pounds of fentanyl and 56 pounds of heroin this fiscal year.

Other smuggling methods

Over the years, drug smugglers have used a variety of methods to sneak illicit narcotics into the U.S.

“We’ve seen all manners of methods of concealing narcotics from car tires to baby car seats, hidden compartments, makeshift compartments, door panels, gas tanks. This is just a new method we’ve started to see a spike in,” Rood said.

Smuggling crackdowns extend beyond the border

On Monday, the Coast Guard offloaded more than 76,000 pounds of narcotics in Florida, the largest offload in its history, as previously reported by .

The offload included 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana, amounting to nearly $500 million worth of illegal drugs.

“The 61,740 pounds of cocaine represent 23 million potentially lethal doses, that’s enough to fatally overdose the entire population of the state of Florida,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Adam Chamie said.

The seized contraband resulted from 19 interdictions in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.