YUMA, Ariz. – Yuma Sector Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Wellton station arrested three U.S. citizens after finding 152 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in five duffel bags in the cargo area of their vehicle at the Interstate 8 immigration checkpoint Monday night.
seized $500,000 worth of meth
Monday.
Agents referred a Nissan Rogue to the checkpoint’s secondary inspection area following a canine alert at approximately 10:40 p.m. While in secondary, a search of the vehicle revealed five duffel bags in the rear cargo area that contained a total of 152 pounds of methamphetamine. The methamphetamine has an estimated value of over $500,000.
Agents arrested the vehicle occupants, three females from Oklahoma, and seized the narcotics and vehicle.
Methamphetamine may be odorless to humans, but USBP canines can easily detect the narcotic and are trained to do so. A dog’s sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000 to 100,000 times better than that of a human, mostly due to the large number of olfactory receptors in a dog’s nose. In addition to methamphetamine, USBP canines are trained to detect concealed humans and the odors of marijuana, heroin and cocaine.