Border Patrol agents on Wednesday seized an estimated $465,200 in meth at a checkpoint near Pine Valley.
The smuggling incident took place around 11 a.m., as agents working at the checkpoint on Interstate 8 encountered a 1995 Jeep Wrangler occupied by a female driver and male passenger, both 20 years of age, officials announced Thursday. A Border Patrol K-9 team working in the pre-primary area alerted to the vehicle.
Agents discovered an aftermarket compartment in the undercarriage of the vehicle. The compartment contained 10 bundles of crystal methamphetamine. The narcotics had a total weight of 46.52 pounds and an estimated street value of $465,200.
The driver and passenger, both U.S. citizens, were arrested for possession of the methamphetamine and turned over to a multiagency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the narcotics. The Jeep Wrangler was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
In fiscal year 2015, San Diego Sector intercepted 2,266 pounds of methamphetamine.
