CALEXICO, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico East port of entry discovered more than 190 pounds of methamphetamine concealed inside the fuel tank of a charter bus Saturday.
On July 20, shortly after 4 p.m., a 36-year-old male Mexican citizen driving a 1997 Dina Viaggio bus applied for entry into the United States at the Calexico East port of entry. A CBP officer referred the charter bus and driver for further inspection.
During the inspection, CBP officers utilized the port’s imaging system and noticed anomalies in the vehicle’s fuel tank. A CBP canine team subsequently screened the bus and the detector dog alerted to the undercarriage.
Officers continued searching the bus and discovered 45 wrapped packages of methamphetamine hidden in a non-factory compartment inside the diesel tank.
The total weight of the methamphetamine was 190 pounds, worth an estimated street value of $304,000.
CBP officers seized the bus and narcotics.
The driver, a resident of Ensenada, Baja Mexico, was arrested for the alleged narcotics smuggling attempt. CBP officers turned him over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further processing.
CBP officers at the border crossings in Southern California routinely stop illegal activity, while processing millions of legitimate travelers into the United States. Those statistics can be found on the CBP Enforcement Statistics page.