U.S. Border Patrol Stops Drug Smuggler and Seizes Meth on I-5

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Yesterday, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a suspected smuggler and seized a significant amount of crystal methamphetamine being transported northbound on Interstate 5.

At around 11:15 a.m., agents on patrol stopped a Dodge Durango truck near the Avenida Magdalena exit in San Clemente. The agents interviewed the driver, a 27-year-old male Mexican citizen in possession of a permanent resident alien identification card, living in San Ysdiro, CA. The agents requested to search the vehicle and were granted permission.

A Border Patrol K-9 team was summoned to the scene and conducted a cursory inspection of the vehicle. The Border Patrol K-9 alerted on the vehicle, prompting agents to conduct a physical search. During the search, a total to 12 bundles of crystal methamphetamine were found inside a black duffel bag placed behind the driver´s seat. The driver was arrested for suspicion of drug smuggling.

The crystal methamphetamine weighed nearly 15.4 pounds with an estimated street value of $356,000. The suspected smuggler and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration; the vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

The Border Patrol's National Strategy to secure our nation's borders is based on a "defense in depth" philosophy. This includes the deployment of coordinated enforcement operations to interdict terrorists, illegal narcotics, and illegal aliens on routes of egress from the border area to the interior portions of our country.