Agents with the El Centro Sector Border Patrol have arrested a 21-year-old man, a Mexican citizen, after discovering 20 bundles of meth in the fuel tank of the vehicle driven by the man, a 2011 Honda Accord.
In total, Border Patrol agents confiscated 22 pounds of methamphetamine at the Southern California checkpoint, which authorities estimate to be worth roughly $220,000 on the streets.
The suspect, drugs and car were all turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – who will continue the investigation.
The incident unfolded at 6:00 a.m. after a detection canine with the Border Patrol alerted its handlers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on December 10, 2015.
Following the canine’s alert, U.S. Border Patrol agents referred the individual to an area designated for secondary inspection where they closely examined his vehicle, eventually discovering the hidden bundles of meth.
The man was arrested at the Highway 86 checkpoint — the same checkpoint at which a teenager suspected of smuggling drugs was arrested on the same day.
According to the CBP, over 445 pounds of meth were seized in the 2014 fiscal year.
Earlier this year, authorities discovered an “active” meth lab at Walmart, not-so-cleverly concealed in the Indiana store’s bathroom. And in Tijuana, on the other side of the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexican authorities discovered a drug smuggling drone loaded with meth after it crashed in a supermarket’s parking lot. The drone reportedly crashed after it was overloaded with its illicit cargo.
Methamphetamine is a stimulant and neurotoxin that is USFDA approved under the trade name Desoxyn. Although USFDA approved, it is rarely prescribed by physicians as a result of its potential risks. Still, it does find, although rarely, medical application in the treatment of ADHD and obesity.
