SALTON CITY, Calif. – El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a United States citizen attempting to smuggle narcotics through an immigration checkpoint Saturday morning.
At approximately 8:40 a.m., a blue 2007 Chevrolet Silverado approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent inspecting vehicles in the primary lanes referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.
A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the vehicle. Agents inspected the interior and exterior of the vehicle and discovered four spare tires located in the bed of the truck. An in-depth inspection of the tires revealed 42 packages containing a white-crystal like substance and 15 packages containing a white powder attempted to be concealed inside two of the tires, a common trend associated with narcotic smuggling. The 42 packages of white crystal-like substance tested positive for methamphetamine, and the 15 packages of white powder tested positive for fentanyl.
The 31-year-old male driver was in possession of 57.3 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $126,060 and 39.2 pounds of fentanyl with an estimated street value of $689,920.
The driver, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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