Meth bust at checkpoint
On Sunday morning, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested a woman suspected of smuggling methamphetamine inside a hidden compartment on her vehicle, a Customs and Border Protection news release stated.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:15 a.m. Sunday when a lawful permanent resident approached the checkpoint in a white Chevy Malibu.
During an immigration inspection, a Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the windshield area near the front right fender of the vehicle.
Agents referred the vehicle to secondary inspection for further investigation.
In secondary, agents discovered 45 packages concealed inside a false compartment of the vehicle’s firewall.
The packages were examined and tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.
The combined weight of the packages totaled 47.95 pounds, which amounted to an estimated street value of $127,067.
The details of the subject’s arrest were referred to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to determine if revoking the suspect’s privileged status is warranted.
The suspect, who was identified as 52-year-old female Mexican citizen, was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and narcotics for further investigation.
In fiscal year 2018, El Centro Sector agents have seized more than 1,035 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at more than $2.4 million.
— Vincent Osuna, vosuna@ivpressonline.com