CALIFORNIA: Two men, hours apart, were arrested Tuesday for allegedly having narcotics inside their vehicles, authorities announced Wednesday.
At about 7:45 a.m., a 49-year-old male Mexican national approached the Interstate 8 checkpoint and was referred for a secondary inspection. When Border Patrol agents conducted the inspection, their K-9 partner responded and alerted to an air conditioner in the back seat of the driver’s 2001 Toyota Sequoia SUV.
Agents removed the air conditioner and opened the access plate. Inside was 18 pounds of meth and two pounds of cocaine. The combined value of the two narcotics was estimated at $221,260.
Shortly after that incident, agents thwarted a second smuggling attempt at the checkpoint at about 10:30 a.m. A 23-year-old male U.S. citizen approached the checkpoint driving a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado truck. He also was referred to secondary inspection, where agents found four vacuum-sealed bundles of methamphetamine hidden behind the truck’s back-seat wall panel. The methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $45,000.
Both drivers face federal charges for narcotics smuggling. The men and their narcotics were turned over to a task force led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Their vehicles were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
Since October 1, 2015, Border Patrol agents in San Diego Sector have intercepted 1,843 pounds of methamphetamine and 900 pounds of cocaine.
