Border Patrol agents on Tuesday afternoon stopped and seized a vehicle carrying more than a hundred packages of crystal methamphetamine worth $1.8 million.
Agents patrolling Interstate 5 north of the San Clemente checkpoint stopped a 2002 Mazda Tribute that appeared suspicious, and a drug-sniffing dog confirmed the possibility of narcotics. Agents then searched the SUV and located foil-wrapped packages hidden inside a door panel.
The driver, a 52-year-old male Mexican national driver, was arrested, and the vehicle was transported to the San Clemente Station for a more thorough inspection. Additional packages were hidden inside the right and left quarter-panels, inside the door panels, underneath the center console, and under the vehicle floor.
When finished, the agents had 136 packages of methamphetamine. Totalling183.09 pounds, the narcotics are worth $1,830,900.
The suspect and drugs were turned over to agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The vehicle was impounded by the Border Patrol.
— From a Border Patrol press release
