Man, woman in labor busted with 53 pounds of meth in car

A 26-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman are suspected of trying to smuggle $170,464 worth of methamphetamine at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint on Thursday night. The man drove up to the checkpoint at about 6 p.m.

A Border Patrol canine alerted agents to the man’s car and that’s when a secondary inspection was made. Agents found 50 packages of methamphetamine concealed in packages in hidden compartments in the floor of the sedan, according to a news release.

The narcotics weighed 53.27 pounds and are estimated to be worth $170,464 on the street, agents said.

The man is a legal permanent resident and he was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency for further investigation. The woman was taken to a nearby medical facility due to having labor pains.

According to the Border Patrol’s release, since fiscal year 2017, which started Oct. 1, 2016, El Centro Sector has seized more than 820 pounds of methamphetamine.

Read: More Crime News around the Coachella Valley More of today’s Top Stories from KESQ & CBS Local 2