A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient of Mexico suspected of smuggling methamphetamine hidden in the trunk of his vehicle Tuesday morning was arrested by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint.
The 22-year-old male “DREAMer,” approached the checkpoint in a grey Kia Optima at approximately 11:24 a.m. During an immigration inspection, agents referred the vehicle to secondary inspection for further investigation.
In that secondary inspection, a Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle and agents discovered 14 vacuum-sealed packages concealed inside of the vehicle’s trunk.
The packages were examined and tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. The combined weight of the packages totaled 17.14 pounds, with an estimated value of $34,284.
“Every drug seizure our agents make is an important step forward to secure our streets from dangerous narcotics and dangerous people,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “I commend our agents for the hard work and dedication in keeping our communities safe.”
The man was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and narcotics for further investigation.
In the last fiscal year, El Centro Sector agents have seized more than 1646.91 pounds of methamphetamine, valued over $4.3 million.