2 drug smuggling attempts blocked by Border Patrol
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a man and woman suspected of drug smuggling in two separate incidents over the weekend.
Agents said at about 6 p.m. Friday, they saw a 29-year-old man from Mexico driving a Chevy Tahoe off-road, north of the International Boundary Fence. Border Patrol responded with an ATV unit and the suspect ran from the truck when it became stuck in sand south of Highway 98.
Authorities said they searched the truck and found 23 bundles of marijuana that weighed 988 pounds. Agents said the marijuana has an estimated street value of $592,800.
The man was turned over to the Imperial County Narcotics Task Force and the DEA for further investigation, according to the release.
The second bust happened at about 10 p.m. Saturday when a 34-year-old woman from Mexico was stopped at the Highway 86 checkpoint in a Honda Accord.
Agents said the woman was acting nervous and a canine detection team alerted them to the trunk, where they found eight bundles of methamphetamine stuffed inside of a speaker box.
The meth weighed 17.96 pounds with an estimated street value of $179,600. The woman was taken into custody and was turned over to the Imperial County Narcotics Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration as the investigation continues.
“These significant seizures help to make our communities a safer place this holiday season,” said Roy D. Villareal Acting Chief Border Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector.
In the fiscal year 2014, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents seized more than 5,713 pounds of marijuana and 445 pounds of methamphetamine, according to officials.
