Two arrested for smuggling meth
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested two men attempting to smuggle methamphetamine Thursday morning.
The incident occurred approximately 2:45 a.m., when a male driver accompanied by a male passenger approached the checkpoint in a white Ford F-250, a Customs and Border Protection news release stated.
During an immigration inspection in the primary lane, the vehicle was referred to secondary inspection.
In secondary inspection, a Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle.
During a search in secondary inspection, agents allegedly discovered 30 sealed packages concealed behind the auxiliary tank located in the bed of the truck.
The packages were examined and reportedly tested positive for the characteristics of meth.
The combined weight of the packages was 31.53 pounds, with an estimated street value of $78,825.
The driver, a 48-year-old man, and the male passenger, both U.S. citizens, were turned over to the DEA along with the vehicle and drugs for further investigation, the news release stated.
According to county Sheriff’s Office arrest records and a federal court complaint, Jason Hayes, 48, of Garden Grove, and Bill D. Jenkins, 49, of Riverside, were the driver and passenger taken into custody.
Hayes and Jenkins were each booked into county jail without bail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.