SALTON CITY: El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station Highway 86 checkpoint arrested a man suspected of smuggling more than half-a-million dollars of drugs after they discovered packages of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden in the vehicle’s rocker panels on Saturday.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m., when a 41-year-old man approached the checkpoint driving a white 2009 Dodge Avenger.
A Border Patrol detection canine alerted to the vehicle. Agents referred the man to the secondary inspection area for a closer examination.
After an intensive search, agents discovered 35 vacuum sealed bundles of methamphetamine and two bundles of cocaine hidden in the vehicle’s rocker panels.
The methamphetamine had a combined weight of 48 pounds with an estimated street value of $480,000. The cocaine weighed 7.14 pounds and had an estimated street value of $114,200.
The man, a Mexican citizen, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
In fiscal year 2016, El Centro Sector has seized more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine and 148 pounds of cocaine.
