A man was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle a large quantity of methamphetamine past a Highway 86 checkpoint, Customs and Border Patrol officials announced Friday.
Agents flagged a 36-year-old man driving a blue Chevrolet Blazer as he approached the Highway 86 checkpoint of the El Centro Sector on Thursday just before 5 p.m., according to CPB. Agents were alerted to the vehicle by the canine detection team.
The unidentified driver of the Blazer was then sent to a secondary inspection for further investigation.
During the second inspection, agents allegedly discovered 14 packages hidden in the air conditioner system. The packages weighed about 10 pounds in total and were reportedly filled with methamphetamine, CPB said.
The street value of the haul was estimated at $26,000. Both the vehicle and the methamphetamine were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
This is the second methamphetamine bust this week at the El Centro Sector checkpoint at Highway 86. On Monday, a man was arrested at the same station for allegedly smuggling 75 pounds of liquid methamphetamine worth nearly $200,000 in his gas tank.
“Sadly this is not a fluke,” CPB Public Information Officer Ralph DeSio said. “Meth has been a big drug coming in from Mexico.”
Officials could not say if the two seizures were related.