Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel detained a large shipment of methamphetamine attempting to enter the United States through the Mexican city of Mexicali, Baja California.
The methamphetamine was hidden in secret compartments of a sedan that was inspected as it approached the immigration checkpoint on Highway 86, better known as the El Centro Sector, a few meters from the border between Calexico and Mexicali.
During a primary inspection, a Border Patrol canine team specialized in narcotics detection became alert when they were near the vehicle, so the driver was sent to a secondary screening area.
Upon further inspection of the vehicle, agents detected a series of boards forming a false bottom. Inside were several packages wrapped in foil. Upon opening, they discovered they were filled with a substance with the characteristics of methamphetamine.
In a statement, CBP stated that the shipment weighed a total of 114.5 pounds (51.9 kilos) and that its estimated street value would be approximately $96,942, just over 1.9 million pesos, according to the current exchange rate.
Cocaine Seized at the Coahuila Border
“This large seizure represents a significant event here in the Premier Sector and throughout the Border Patrol: cartel terrorists are finding it increasingly difficult to smuggle drugs,” said Gregory K. Bovino, Chief of the El Centro Sector.
The official added that Border Patrol agents have more information and technology than the “terrorist cartels,” and therefore assured that seizures at international bridges will continue.
Regarding the identity of the vehicle’s driver, it was being withheld for security reasons; However, it was reported that he is being detained and under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for possible prosecution.
It is worth remembering that just last March 21, nearly 9.5 million pesos worth of cocaine were stopped at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, the border crossing between the states of Texas and Coahuila.
The drugs were being transported in a tractor-trailer that claimed to be carrying ceramic bricks, but was hiding 16 packages of cocaine weighing a total of 35.4 pounds (16.05 kilos). The driver, whose nationality was not disclosed, was returned to Mexico while Homeland Security Investigations agents began investigating to determine responsibility.
Source: infobae
