(Thursday, May 12, 2011)
San Ysidro, California - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the San Ysidro port of entry arrested a United States citizen on May 12 after discovering 78 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle he was driving.
The incident occurred at about 12:30 a.m., when a CBP officer conducting inspections of vehicles and travelers entering the U.S. referred the driver, a 56-year-old male, for further examination.
At the secondary inspection area, CBP officers conducted an intensive inspection that included a canine screening of the driver’s brown Chevy Malibu. Officers subsequently discovered 57 wrapped packages of methamphetamine hidden inside the floor of the vehicle. The methamphetamine had a street value of approximately $1,560,000.
The driver, a resident of San Diego, California, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement–Homeland Security Investigations agents and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center facility where he awaits arraignment.
CBP seized both the vehicle and narcotics.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
