Border Patrol agents at the Highway 86 checkpoint arrested a man suspected of smuggling methamphetamine on April 4.

The incident occurred at aroun 2:30 p.m., when the 57-year-old man approached the checkpoint in a Ford Explorer. A Border Patrol canine alerted the agents from the El Centro Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and it was sent to secondary inspection for further investigation.

During the secondary inspection, agents found 76 packages hidden in the dashboard, doors, and rear quarter panels. The packages tested positive for meth and weighed around 83 pounds, with an estimated street value of $156,000.

The man, identified as a United States Citizen, the drugs and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to the DEA’s 2019 National Drug Threat Assessment, the number of methamphetamine laboratories has decreased, but the total availability of the drug in the U.S. has increased in recent years. It is one of the most widely trafficked drugs along the southern border.

“Domestic production occurs at much lower levels than in Mexico and seizures of domestic methamphetamine laboratories have continued to decline,” the report found.