PINE VALLEY, Calif.—A checkpoint inspection on Sunday evening by U.S. Border Patrol agents led to the arrest of a 19-year-old man who was smuggling bundles of meth inside his SUV’s engine compartment.
At approximately 9 p.m., agents at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley referred a man in a 2008 Nissan Armada for a secondary inspection. Once in secondary, a nearby K-9 alerted to the man’s vehicle. A search of the Armada revealed a non-factory compartment behind the front firewall on the passenger side of the vehicle. Inside were 46 bundles of methamphetamine.
The bundles of methamphetamine weighed 46.84 pounds and were valued at $159,256.
The man was arrested for narcotics smuggling and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the narcotics. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.