San Diego Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents recently uncovered almost 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a fuel tank of a bobtail truck on Interstate 15.
On Sept. 29 at 11 a.m., agents conducted a vehicle stop on a northbound semi-truck, traveling without a trailer, on I-15 about a quarter mile north of the California Highway Patrol scales.
During the stop, a Border Patrol agent and his K-9 partner led agents to discover characteristics of liquid methamphetamine concealed inside at least one of the truck's fuel tanks.
The vehicle and the driver were transported to the Newton-Azrak Station for further processing. Hazardous response specialists were called in to safely extract the liquid contents from the fuel tank.
The agents recovered liquid that tested positive for meth. They recovered 962 pounds (about 115 gallons) of meth with an estimated street value of $1 million.
Agents turned the driver, a Mexican national, over to Homeland Security Investigations and local authorities for state prosecution. The semi-truck was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
“This massive seizure of liquid methamphetamine highlights the lengths these transnational criminal organizations will go to smuggle hard narcotics into our communities,” said Justin M. De La Torre, chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector.
