WINTERHAVEN, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Andrade port of entry made two significant methamphetamine seizures this weekend weighing 164 pounds in total.
The first seizure occurred on Friday, June 28, at approximately 6:15 p.m., when a CBP officer encountered a 26-year-old female U.S. citizen driving a silver 2009 Volkswagen Routan. During the inspection, a canine team alerted to the vehicle. Officers referred both the driver and vehicle to secondary inspection.
The secondary inspections uncovered 95 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed inside the quarter panel, dashboard, spare tire and doors. The weight of the narcotic was 108 pounds with a street value of approximately $172,800.
The driver, a resident of Yuma, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.
The second seizure occurred on Sunday, June 30, at approximately 2 p.m., when an officer referred a 30-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a gold Toyota Camry for a more in-depth inspection.
During the intensive inspection, officers utilized a canine team and discovered 55 wrapped packages of methamphetamine concealed inside the vehicle’s doors. The weight of the narcotic was 56 pounds with a street value of approximately $90,144.
The driver, a resident of Mesa, Arizona, was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt.
Both drivers were turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for further processing and were transported to the Imperial County Jail where they currently await arraignment.
CBP seized the narcotics and vehicles.
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