By SDCN Staff
Calexico, CA–U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico Port of Entry discovered 486.06 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the beams of three railcars in two different events during routine inspections at the Calexico rail yard.
“Using natural compartments on railcars is only one of the methods used by transnational criminal organizations to evade detection,” said Jennifer De La O, Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office. “Our CBP officers work hard every day to intercept contraband which shows their commitment and vigilance to the CBP mission.”
The first interception occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on Oct. 31. Officers at the Calexico downtown port of entry scanned the train coming from Mexico utilizing the rail x-ray imaging system and noticed anomalies in two of the railcars. A Customs and Border Protection human and narcotic detector dog was used to screen the railcars and alert officers to the presence of narcotics. Further inspection of the first railcar revealed 197 packages of methamphetamine concealed in the frame beam of the railcar. During the inspection of the second railcar, officers discovered 105 packages of methamphetamine concealed in the center beam of the railcar.
Officers extracted approximately 347.88 pounds of methamphetamine from both rail cars worth an estimated street value of $417,456.
The second interception occurred at approximately 6 a.m. on Nov. 2. Officers utilizing the rail X-ray imaging system noticed anomalies on one of the railcars during their routine inspection of the train coming from Mexico. Officers and a detector dog screened the railcar which had the presence of narcotics. During a physical inspection, officers removed 42 packages of methamphetamine that were concealed in the center beam of the railcar.
Officers extracted approximately 138.18 pounds of methamphetamine from the rail car worth an estimated street value of $165,816.
The total estimated street value for all three seizures is $583,272.
At this time no arrests have been made pending further investigation.
Customs and Border Protection officers seized the narcotics.
