Two teenage women were caught with nearly $70,000 worth of methamphetamine in their car at a San Diego Border Patrol checkpoint Saturday.
The two women were stopped by San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents at approximately noon at an Interstate 8 checkpoint, according to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release. Officers reportedly ordered their 2008 Saturn Aura to a secondary inspection area after questioning the drivers.
A K-9 at the secondary inspection area alerted officers to the rear tire of the vehicle, prompting a search in which officers noticed “discrepancies” on the undercarriage of the vehicle, according to the press release. (RELATED: Flushing Drugs Down The Toilet Can Lead To ‘Meth Gators,’ Police Warn)
Officers discovered 48 plastic-wrapped bundles of crystal methamphetamine hidden in “an aftermarket compartment” above the gas tank, according to the press release. The total haul weighed 29.28 pounds and had an estimated street value of $67,344.
Both suspects are reportedly 19-year-old U.S. citizens. Officers placed the two under arrest, and handed the crystal meth over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The vehicle was seized by CBP.
“Checkpoints deny major routes of egress from the borders to smugglers intent on delivering people, drugs and other contraband to the interior of the United States,” CBP spokesman Ralph DeSio told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.
“This approach, along with additional resources in the form of technology, border fencing and personnel, and stronger partnerships with international, state, local and tribal law enforcement and local communities has resulted in a significant decline in illegal cross border activity,” DeSio continued.
The San Diego Sector Border Patrol has seized approximately 3,889 pounds of methamphetamine in the past year, valued at $8,944,700, according to the release.
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