Border Patrol reports 2 meth seizures

El Centro Sector Border Patrol Agents seized more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine over the weekend in two separate events, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported in a release.

The first incident occurred about 9:50 a.m. Saturday, when a commercial passenger bus approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. Agents directed the bus to enter the secondary inspection area for an immigration check of its passengers.

During that inspection, agents encountered a male passenger who seemed particularly agitated. Agents requested and received consent for a pat-down search that revealed the presence of a foreign object strapped to his leg.

Asked about this, the man admitted to having illegal drugs strapped to his thigh. Agents arrested the 28-year-old U.S. citizen, escorted him off the bus and took him to the detention area for further processing. They removed a cellophane-wrapped package that was duct taped to the man’s thigh. The substance inside the package tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.

The methamphetamine weighed

1.14 pounds and had an estimated street value of $2,565.

El Centro Sector turned over the suspect and the drugs over to the Border Crimes Suppression Team.

The second incident occurred Sunday about 2:30 p.m., when an individual near a campsite in Westmorland waved down a Border Patrol agent. The person said a man driving a red off-road vehicle had abandoned a backpack and drove off as soon as he saw a marked Border Patrol vehicle approaching.

Agents discovered multiple plastic-wrapped packages inside the backpack. Agents took the abandoned backpack and its contents to the Highway 86 checkpoint for processing. The substance inside the packages tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.

The total weight of the methamphetamine was just more than 15 pounds, with an estimated value of $34,081.

El Centro Sector turned over the meth to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.