Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Archived Content
    In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated.
  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Yuma Sector Border Patrol Seize Second Load of Meth in Gas Tank

Yuma Sector Border Patrol Seize Second Load of Meth in Gas Tank

Release Date
Mon, 08/13/2018

YUMA, Ariz. – Border Patrol agents arrested a 31-year-old Mexican national with a Border Crossing Card at the Wellton Station Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint Saturday, after he attempted to smuggle methamphetamine in his vehicle’s gas tank.

Agents located packages of meth within the gas tank of a smuggling vehicle
Agents located packages of
meth within the gas tank of a
smuggling vehicle

At approximately 5:20 p.m., agents referred a blue 2006 Volkswagen Jetta to the secondary inspection area after a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, a total of 31 packages of methamphetamine were removed from the gas tank. The narcotics had a combined weight of 42.5 pounds and are estimated to be worth more than $127,000.

This is the second gas tank load found by Wellton agents in a week. The first gas tank load was seized on August 8 and was being driven by a Mexican national lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

The contraband and vehicle were seized.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021