By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–As the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector closes in on a new record for methamphetamine seizures, agents arrested a minor attempting to smuggle narcotics into the United States.
On Aug. 30 at 10:40 p.m., surveillance camera operators observed a suspicious person in a remote area approximately one mile east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, just a few hundred yards north of the U.S./Mexico International Boundary. The subject was observed carrying what appeared to be two dark duffel bags. When agents responded to the area, they encountered a 16-year-old boy, who provided an unlikely story of hiking in the area.
The previously observed duffel bags were nowhere to be seen. A Border Patrol Detection K-9 unit responded to the area and located the two bags nearby. Both bags were filled with water bottles wrapped in black electrical tape. Upon initial inspection, the bottles appeared to be filled with a crystalline substance consistent with previous narcotic seizures.
“These criminal organizations have no reservations about using a minor to smuggle their poison, and ruining a juvenile’s future is of little consequence to them,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey D. Stalnaker. “No matter what these criminals try, I know our agents will be there to thwart their plans.”
The packages and the minor were taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for further investigation and processing. The contents of the bottles tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. A total of 26.89 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $32,000 was recovered from the duffel bags.
The narcotics and the 16-year-old were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
“These criminal organizations have no reservations about using a minor to smuggle their poison, and ruining a juvenile’s future is of little consequence to them,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Stalnaker. “No matter what these criminals try, I know our agents will be there to thwart their plans.”
The packages and the minor were taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for further investigation and processing. The contents of the bottles tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. A total of 26.89 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $32,000 was recovered from the duffel bags.
The narcotics and the juvenile were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.
