450 lbs. of liquid meth found hidden in fuel tank near Coachella

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a 31-year-old Mexican national suspected of smuggling 450 pounds of liquid methamphetamine.

The total value of the drugs seized is estimated to be $540,000, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office stated.

On July 8, agents stopped an orange Freightliner semi-truck traveling northbound on Hwy 86 near Coachella, at around 2 p.m.

The Border Patrol K-9 team detected drugs in the vehicle. Then, the truck and its driver were transported to the Indio Border Patrol Station to be inspected further. Agents tested the liquid in the fuel tanks and found methamphetamine.

"I tend to think large shipments of methamphetamine such as this pose a risk to Americans on several levels, including increases in crime and decreases in health and safety," said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. "Agents in the Premier Sector will continue to take the fight to smugglers of all types with one goal in mind: winning on behalf of the taxpayer."

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection office noted the seizure is a result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began in Oct. 2023 in Sourthern California before expanding to Arizona in April 2024.

Operation Apollo partners with federal, state, local and territorial partners to target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.