Border agents arrest suspected drug smuggler at checkpoint
A woman suspected of smuggling drugs was taken into custody Sunday at the Highway 86 checkpoint in Salton City.
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station say they discovered packages of methamphetamine hidden in a 2011 Ford Fusion.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:25 p.m.
Agents say a Border Patrol detection canine alerted to the vehicle after the 25-year-old woman approached the checkpoint.
A secondary inspection turned up 28 vacuum sealed bundles of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle’s rocker panels.
The methamphetamine had a combined weight of 35 pounds with an estimated street value of $315,000.
The woman, a United States citizen, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
