WINTERHAVEN, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Andrade port of entry found 126 packages of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle.
“CBP canine teams prove time and time again what an important asset they are in assisting to secure the nation’s borders,” said Andrade Port Director Martin Cuesta. “This is a true testament to the hard work CBP Officers perform daily at ports of entry.”
At approximately 9:13 p.m., on Friday, April 5, CBP officers encountered a 2002 Ford Sport Trac SUV driven by a 48-year-old woman. Her passengers were her daughters, a 20-year-old and a five-year-old. The CBP officer detected inconsistencies with their travel itinerary and referred the occupants for a more in-depth inspection.
A canine team screened the vehicle and the detector dog alerted to the inside of the passenger cabin. During an intensive search, officers uncovered 126 wrapped packages of methamphetamine stashed inside the SUV’s rear seats, cargo area, spare tire and inside the quarter panels.
In total, CBP officers removed 128 pounds of methamphetamine from the vehicle. The street value of the narcotics is estimated to be $204,800.
The driver and the 20-year-old passenger, both U.S. citizens and residents of Yuma, were arrested for the alleged narcotics smuggling attempt.
The drivers and passenger were turned over to Homeland Security Investigation agents for further processing and were later transported to the Imperial County Jail. The five-year-old child was released to child protective services.
CBP seized the narcotics and vehicle.
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 here: CBP Enforcement Statistics webpage.