Border Patrol Sees Uptick in Meth Trafficking

From City News Service --

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized a total of $873,800 in methamphetamine in three separate stops on state Route 94 and the I-5 Freeway this week, the federal agency announced Thursday.

The busts show an uptick in methamphetamine smuggling during this week leading up to Christmas, according to a Border Patrol release.

The first stop was made at the I-5 checkpoint south of San Clemente on Sunday evening, according to a U.S. Border Patrol agent Scott Simon.

On Sunday, a 21- year-old man, a U.S. citizen, hid 6.95 pounds of meth in a fire extinguisher and a battery casing.

Then, on Monday afternoon, a 49-year-old man, also a U.S. citizen, was stopped on state Route 94 near Jamul. He was driving a vehicle with 25.83 pounds of meth hidden inside the vehicle's rocker panels, Simon said. Rocker panels are located under a vehicle's door, between the tire wheels, and are used to protect the undercarriage from rocks, mud and other road debris.

The third stop was Tuesday on I-5 in the San Diego area. Simon said a 47-year-old man, a Mexican national, was stopped with 10.91 pounds of meth hidden inside the seats of his SUV.

All three were taken into custody and their vehicles seized, along with the drugs. Their names were not immediately released.