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Border Patrol seize $82K worth of meth

Published January 23, 2018 6:31 AM

Border Patrol agents seized over $82,000 of methamphetamine and arrested a man previously convicted of sexual assault on a minor over the weekend.

Saturday evening, agents arrested Guatemalan resident Luciano Pablo-Martin, 48, near downtown Calexico after he tried to make an illegal entry into the United States.

Records checks on Pablo revealed he was previously deported from the U.S. on February 13, 2004. Agents also discovered that Pablo had been arrested by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department for lewd acts with a child under 14 twice, on November 14, 2003, and again on June 9, 2014. Pablo was convicted and sentenced to separate prison terms on each conviction.

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“Here we have a case of an illegal alien who was convicted of a heinous crime against a minor, not once but two times,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim. “This subject preyed upon one of the most vulnerable segments of our communities, our youth. Our agents encountering and arresting him will ensure he is not released back to our communities.”

This was not the first incident agents dealt with Saturday, earlier in the day, at around 9:15 am, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle methamphetamine.

Agents discovered 15 vacuum-sealed packages wrapped in cellophane hidden in a compartment within the vehicle’s roof during an inspection at the Highway 86 checkpoint in Borrego Springs.