El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents, part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), assigned to the Indio Station arrested four individuals in two separate incidents over the weekend for suspected drug smuggling.
Agents encountered two individuals, a 22-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, on Saturday as they approached the Highway 86 checkpoint in a 2010 Ford Fusion. With the use of a canine unit, agents were alerted to possible drugs within the car. After a physical search of the vehicle, agents uncovered 39 bundles of methamphetamine concealed within the vehicle’s rocker panels. The narcotics weighed approximately 42 pounds and carried an approximate street value of $171,600.
A second incident occurred on Sunday after agents pulled over a 2005 Honda Odyssey van along Interstate 10. The vehicle’s occupants, a 31-year-old woman and a 25-year-old male, were arrested after agents discovered 35 bundles of methamphetamine concealed within the car. The narcotics carried an approximate street value of $222,720. Both of the individuals were arrested.
“These seizures are an example of the great work of El Centro Sector,” Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott said. “Our community is a safer place because of the great work these brave men and women carry out daily.”
All four individuals were arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for further processing.