SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested two United States citizens attempting to smuggle 61 packages of methamphetamine through an immigration checkpoint Wednesday morning.
At approximately 6:20 a.m., a 2017 white Ford F-150 approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent inspecting vehicles in the primary lanes referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.
A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the rear of the vehicle. Agents inspected the backseat area and discovered several packages wrapped in cellophane inside a duffle bag and a cardboard box that were on the floorboard behind the driver and passenger seats. The contents of the packages contained a white crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
The driver and passenger were found in possession of 64.7 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $116,460.
“I am very proud of the men and women of the El Centro Sector and the dedication they display,” said, Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dennis W. Harmon. “We are committed to keeping dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”
The subjects, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.