BP seizes meth, arrests 7 in 3 separate incidents

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents discovered nearly $178,000 in methamphetamine, fraudulent documents and a loaded firearm in three separate incidents Wednesday, leading to the arrest of seven people.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Wellton Station agents working at the Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint encountered a Honda Civic with two occupants. The driver claimed to be a U.S. citizen, and the passenger presented a resident alien identification card, according to a Border Patrol press release. Agents referred the occupants to the secondary inspection area, where the passenger admitted he was illegally present in the United States from Mexico, and was presenting a false ID. The driver, a 20-year-old male, and his 40-yearold passenger were both arrested, the press release stated.

In the second event at 3 p.m., Blythe Station agents at the Highway 78 Immigration Checkpoint apprehended a 24-year-old lawful alien permanent resident and a 24-year-old U.S. citizen for the human smuggling of two Mexican nationals, the Border Patrol said. In the vehicle, a loaded .45-caliber pistol was found, and questioning revealed the driver was headed to Los Angeles. The two smuggled aliens, a 23-year-old female and a 21-year-old male, were also arrested. The firearm and vehicle were seized, the press release noted.

In the final event at 3:30 p.m., Wellton Station agents working at the Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint referred a Ford Explorer to the secondary inspection area where a K-9 alerted to an odor.

Agents searched the vehicle and found 52 cellophane-wrapped packages under the rocker panel, which tested positive for methamphetamine, the Border Patrol said. The narcotics weighed 59.18 pounds and were valued at $177,540. The 28-year-old female driver, a U.S. citizen, was traveling with her 9-year-old daughter. The driver was arrested on drug smuggling charges, and her daughter was turned over to Child Protective Services, the Border Patrol stated.