Trucker arrested for more than 300 pounds of drugs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Calexico-East commercial facility port of entry found more than 256 packages of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden under a mattress in a tractor truck, the agency said in a release.

At approximately 7:26 p.m. on Wednesday, CBP officers encountered a 50-year-old Mexican citizen with a valid B1 visa driving a tractor truck pulling a trailer that entered the cargo facility carrying a manifested shipment of “green onions.” The officer conducting the inspection detected abnormalities in the mattress located in the sleeper area and referred the truck and shipment for an X-ray examination.

During the X-ray exam, CBP officers identified an anomaly and sent the truck and shipment to the dock for a more intensive examination. A CBP officer with a human-narcotic detector dog screened the contents of the truck and trailer, and the canine alerted to the tractor truck.

During the inspection, officers found 252 wrapped packages of methamphetamine, and four packages of cocaine hidden under the mattress in the tractor cab’s sleeper area.

The weight of the drugs was 305 pounds of methamphetamine, and 6 pounds of cocaine with a combined estimated street value of $838,000.

CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer, cargo shipment and drugs.

The driver, a resident of Mexicali, was arrested for the alleged drug-smuggling attempt. CBP officers turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing.

He was later transported to the Imperial County Jail where he was awaiting arraignment as of press time.