I-5 Checkpoint Nets 16 Lbs. Meth in Mass Transit

U.S. Border Patrol Agents within three hours Thursday seized 16 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $326,800 at the I-5 border checkpoint south of San Clemente.

All three suspects were aboard mass transportation vehicles.

At 8 a.m., agents inspected a passenger bus with their drug dog. The dog indicated drugs in a 23-year-old man's luggage. Agents found more than four pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $81,000, according to a release from the patrol.

An hour later, San Clemente agents questioned a 37-year-old Mexican national aboard a commuter van after he displayed nervous behavior, the release states. The drug dog indicated drugs were present, and agents found three packages of methamphetamine attached to his lower back and thighs with a total weight of more than seven pounds and an estimated street value of $145,000, the release states.

 At 10 a.m., the agents encountered a 45-year-old U.S. citizen aboard a passenger bus. The dog alerted agents of drugs in the passenger's luggage.  Agents searched the luggage and discovered four packages of methamphetamine weighing 5.04 pounds and an estimated street value of $100,800, according to the release.

All three suspects and the narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.