SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 checkpoint, arrested a woman suspected of smuggling methamphetamine on Thursday.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:45 p.m., after a 21-year-old woman approached the checkpoint in a gray 2014 Nissan Sentra.
A Border Patrol detection canine alerted to the vehicle during primary inspection. Agents referred the woman to the secondary inspection area for a closer examination.
After an intensive search, agents discovered 35 packages wrapped in cellophane hidden under the front and rear floor mats of the vehicle.
The methamphetamine weighed 43.87 pounds with an estimated street value of $175,480.
The woman, a United States citizen, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
From Oct. 1, 2015 through Jul. 31, 2016, El Centro Sector seized more than 1,198 pounds of methamphetamine.