Border Patrol agents discover methamphetamine in vehicle quarter panels

INDIO, Calif. - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a 28-year-old female U.S. citizen for smuggling approximately 51 pounds of methamphetamine. The total value of the drugs seized is estimated to be $83,312.

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents seized approximately 51 pounds of methamphetamine.

On July 25, at approximately 11:45 p.m., Indio Station agents stopped a vehicle driving westbound on Interstate 10 in Indio. The vehicle was occupied by a woman and her child. A Border Patrol K-9 team trained to detect concealed people and illegal drugs alerted to the vehicle.

A search of the SUV revealed 50 wrapped bundles secreted in multiple quarter panels of the vehicle. The driver, child, vehicle, and suspected drugs were transported to the Indio Border Patrol Station for further processing. The wrapped bundles were subsequently confirmed to contain 50.82 pounds of methamphetamine.

"A child and 50 pounds of methamphetamine - a sure sign of smuggler depravity," said El Centro Sector Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino. "Similar to smugglers who left a mother to die in the desert with her young daughter last week, this week's drug smuggling caper highlights the detestable tactics smugglers use to ply their trade."

The child was released to their grandfather. The woman, vehicle, and drugs were turned over to local law enforcement for further investigation.

The meth was found hidden in the vehicle's quarter panels.

This seizure is the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on Oct. 26, 2023, in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.

Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Follow the USBP El Centro Sector on X (formerly Twitter) @USBPChiefELC, on Facebook U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector, and on Instagram @USBPChiefELC.

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