Man arrested for smuggling meth

A 26-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine while traveling in a vehicle through the west port of entry.

Miguel A. Garcia-Padilla, city of residence undisclosed, was taken into custody at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the port of entry by Homeland Security Investigations agents and booked into county jail without bail on suspicion of unlawful importation of a controlled substance, county Sheriff’s Office arrest records stated.

According to a federal court complaint, Garcia attempted to enter the United States through the port of entry Tuesday while driving a red 2002 Ford Explorer.

A Customs and Border Protection officer sent Garcia and his vehicle to secondary inspection after Garcia said he owned the Explorer for only three weeks.

During secondary inspection, an X-ray scan revealed anomalies in the gas tank area of the Explorer.

A CBP canine detection team also alerted to the vehicle.

Further examination revealed the Explorer had numerous packages in the gas tank. A total of 30 packages, which had a combined approximate weight of 41.53 pounds and field-tested positive for meth, were removed.

In the court complaint, Garcia stated that approximately three weeks prior to his arrest, a man from Mexicali offered to pay him $3,000 to buy the Explorer, register it in his name and use it to carry unspecified drugs across the border.