Drugs seized in 3 stops near Pine Valley

By Susan Shroder
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 4:59 p.m.

The marijuana bundles found in a Dodge Intrepid.

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized cocaine, marijuana and crystal methamphetamine from three vehicles in separate stops at the Interstate 8 checkpoint near Pine Valley, federal officials said Monday.

On Friday, two men in a 2002 Nissan Xterra were referred to secondary inspection because they appeared nervous. A Border Patrol K-9 team alerted to the compact sport-utility vehicle, and agents found 25 bundles of cocaine in a non-factory compartment in the roof. The cocaine weighed about 60 pounds, and the drug’s street value was estimated at nearly $600,000, the Border Patrol said.

The men, ages 19 and 24, both U.S. citizens, were arrested.

On Sunday, agents found more than 5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in the undercarriage of a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee being driven by a 21-year-old U.S. citizen. He was arrested.

Also on Sunday, a 21-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of smuggling 159 pounds of marijuana in the rear of a 2000 Dodge Intrepid. Agents found 48 cellophane-wrapped bundles of marijuana weighing about 159 pounds. The estimated street value of the drug is about $95,000, the Border Patrol said.

susan.shroder@uniontrib.com • (619) 293-1876

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