Calexico woman arrested for smuggling meth

A 24-year-old Calexico woman was arrested Thursday morning at the east port of entry after allegedly smuggling over 40 pounds of methamphetamine in her vehicle’s front and rear seats.

Andrea Sandez-Olmos was taken into custody at about 10:40 a.m. Thursday at the POE by Homeland Security Investigations agents and booked into county jail on suspicion of unlawful importation of a controlled substance and knowingly importing or exporting a controlled substance, stated county Sheriff’s Office arrest records.

Sandez was held without bond for the two alleged felony offenses, arrest records stated.

According to a federal court complaint, Sandez’s vehicle was referred to secondary inspection after a Customs and Border Protection Officer noticed the rear of the vehicle’s driver seat felt solid.

Further inspection of Sandez’s vehicle revealed non-factory compartments in the rear of both the front and rear seats, which contained a total of ten vacuum-sealed packages.

The packages contained a crystal-like substance that field tested positive for the properties of methamphetamine, stated the court complaint. The total weight of the packages was 40.96 pounds.

In the court complaint, Sandez denied knowledge of the narcotics concealed in her vehicle, but admitted she was on the way to San Diego where she was to pick up an unknown quantity of U.S. currency, which was to be hidden in her vehicle.

Sandez further stated she was being paid $1,000 to pick up this money and bring it to Mexico. Sandez also admitted that she has smuggled U.S. currency from the U.S. into Mexico on one prior occasion, approximately two to four weeks prior to Thursday.