Border Patrol Intercepts More than $1 Million in Meth at Arizona Checkpoint

January 22, 2010 - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two adult women Saturday for attempting to smuggle 46 pounds of methamphetamine through a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 eastbound near Dateland. Agents discover 37 packages of methamphetamine in the back of a vehicle stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint.

At approximately 2 p.m., agents encountered the females as they approached the checkpoint’s primary inspection area in a 2002 Isuzu Trooper sports utility vehicle. During primary inspection, a Border Patrol canine team alerted to the rear of the SUV, indicating the possibility of hidden persons or contraband inside the vehicle. A closer examination of the SUV revealed a hidden compartment located above the gas tank which contained 37 small packages of methamphetamine with an approximate street value of $1,125,600.

The driver and passenger were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the methamphetamine. The Border Patrol seized the Isuzu Trooper.

This is the largest methamphetamine smuggling attempt that Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents have seized. As part of the Border Patrol’s defense-in-depth enforcement approach, checkpoint operations serve as a valuable tool to prevent the smuggling of humans, drugs and other contraband into our country.