$1.5M worth of meth found in tractor-trailer fuel tank at Highway 86 checkpoint
A man was arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle more than $1.5 million worth of liquid methamphetamine through the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint.
The arrest happened last Thursday at around 9:00 p.m.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the driver, a 40-year-old from Mexico, approached the immigration checkpoint in a white commercial tractor. While agents conducted an immigration inspection of the driver, a K-9 unit conducted a non-intrusive sniff of the tractor-trailer.
The K-9 unit alerted to the passenger-side fuel tank and directed the driver to a secondary inspection area.
The agency added that during the inspection, Border Patrol agents noticed discrepancies between the tractor’s multiple fuel tanks. Agents tested a suspicious liquid substance located inside the passenger-side fuel tank.
The substance tested positive for Methamphetamine. A hazardous materials team was contacted to remove the remaining contents from the fuel tank.
The total weight of the liquid methamphetamine was 1,043.18 lbs. with an estimated value of $1,565,000.00.
The driver, the tractor, and the methamphetamine were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing and investigation.
The bust comes just a few days after Border Agents in San Diego found another $1.5 million worth of liquid meth concealed in the fuel tanks of a commercial tractor.
