Two Smuggling Attempts
Last updated 10/5/2020 at 10:31am
Agents arrested three men suspected of smuggling drugs through the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint on two separate events over the weekend.
The first incident happened Sept. 12, at 12:20 p.m., when a man driving a black Hyundai Veloster, along with a male passenger approached the checkpoint.
The vehicle was sent to secondary inspection after a canine alerted to the vehicle.
While agents inspected the car, they found 27 vacuumed-sealed packages in a luggage case. The packages later tested positive for methamphetamine.
The meth weighed approximately 30 pounds with an estimated value of $69,302.
The two men, ages 54 and 37, both United States citizens were arrested, the drugs and the vehicle were seized and turned over the DEA.
The second incident occurred the morning after on Sept. 13, when a man driving a grey Ford F-250 approached the checkpoint at 10:30 a.m.
A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the vehicle; agents directed the vehicle for further inspection.
Upon investigation, agents found a large package hidden inside the manifold of the engine. The package tested positive for heroin.
The heroin weighed 14 pounds and has an estimated street value of $187,600. The 32-year-old driver, identified as a United States citizen, the heroin, and vehicle were also turned over to the DEA.
