El Centro Sector Border Patrol Seizes more than 100 Pounds of Meth

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents working at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested a man suspected of smuggling methamphetamine on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:55 p.m., when a 23-year-old man driving a 2012 burgundy Nissan Altima approached the checkpoint. A Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle. Agents sent the vehicle to secondary inspection for further investigation.

While in secondary inspection, Border Patrol agents discovered a black plastic bag that was behind the driver seat of the vehicle. The bag contained a vacuum sealed wrapped bundle. Agents discovered three additional black plastic bags inside the trunk.

Border Patrol agents retrieved a total of 99 bundles from all the plastic bags which contained a crystal like substance. The substance tested positive for the properties of methamphetamine.

The total weight of the methamphetamine discovered was 102.4 pounds, with an estimated value of $235,520.

The man, a United States citizen, the methamphetamine and vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.