Two meth smuggling arrests made

Two separate drug smuggling arrests were made Wednesday at the west port of entry, county Sheriff’s Office arrest records stated.

The first arrest occurred at 8:30 a.m., when a 23-year-old man applied for entry through the port’s vehicle lanes as the sole occupant of a 2002 Honda Accord.

Gustavo Almanza, city of residence undisclosed, and his vehicle reportedly received a computer-generated alert and were referred to secondary inspection.

During secondary inspection, a human–narcotics detector dog alerted the passenger side quarter panel and inside the trunk of Almanza’s vehicle, a federal court complaint stated.

Further inspection of the vehicle revealed 17 packages, that had a combined weight of 18.87 pounds and field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

In the court complaint, Almanza stated he agreed to smuggle meth across the border for $400 per pound.

The second arrest occurred at 7 p.m. when a 21-year-old woman applied for entry at the port via the pedestrian lanes.

A Customs and Border Protection officer noted Susana Y. Ruiz-De La Fuente was shaking, and proceeded to conduct a pat down.

The CBP officer observed a bulge on Ruiz’s back and felt a hard object.

After further inspection, CBP officers discovered six vacuum-sealed packages around Ruiz’s torso and legs.

The packages had a combined weight of approximately 6.37 pounds and field-tested positive for meth.

Ruiz, whose city of residence was undisclosed, and Almanza were each booked into county jail without bail on suspicion of unlawful importation of a controlled substance.