San Diego, California - Smugglers disguised $5 million worth of methamphetamine as watermelons and tried to truck them across the border from Mexico, US border agents said.

More than 4,500 pounds of the drug were wrapped in paper packages painted to look like the juicy fruit and hidden amongst other cargo.

Border agents pulled over the produce-laden tractor-trailer at Otay Mesa in California last Friday and got in amongst the cargo for a closer look.

There they discovered more than 1,200 watermelons were actually bundles of meth wrapped in colored paper, US Customs and Border Protection said this week.

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The load was seized and the 29-year-old driver was handed over to Homeland Security.

Earlier this month, authorities uncovered 508 packages hidden in a shipment of celery in similar circumstances. Testing confirmed the packages contained meth, with an estimated street value of $755,000.

"I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods," Area Port of Otay Mesa director Rosa Hernandez said.

"As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country."