Yuma, Ariz. - U.S. Border Patrol agents intercepted another methamphetamine smuggling attempt Thursday evening at the Interstate 8 Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, Ariz.
A Border Patrol canine team alerted to a 2007 Dodge Charger sedan at about 5 p.m. as it approached the primary inspection area of the immigration checkpoint. The driver of the Charger was referred for secondary inspection where Border Patrol agents found 22 bundles of methamphetamine inside a hidden compartment.
The meth weighs 18 pounds and has an estimated street value at just under $600,000. The driver and methamphetamine were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This is the second methamphetamine smuggling attempt in a week that agents have stopped at the Interstate 8 checkpoint. On Saturday, agents seized 47 pounds of the dangerous drug, the largest meth seizure to date in Yuma Sector. The 65 pounds of meth seized over the past week by Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents surpasses the 35 pounds of methamphetamine seized in all of fiscal year 2009.