C.B.P. News Release

Teen Caught with 11 Pounds of Meth at Calexico Downtown Port

(Thursday, August 13, 2009)

Calexico, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting border security operations at the Calexico downtown port of entry arrested a 17-year-old male after officers found 11 pounds of methamphetamines in the vehicle he was driving, officials announced today.

The seizure occurred on Wednesday, August 12, at about noon when the driver, a Mexican citizen, driving a tan 2009 Honda Accord was referred to the secondary examination area for further inspection.

In the secondary inspection area, an officer and his canine where screening vehicles when the dog alerted to the Honda Accord. An intensive inspection of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of nine wrapped packages of methamphetamines concealed in a compartment underneath the center console. The weight of the narcotic is 11 pounds with a street value of $115,500.

CBP officers arrested the driver, a resident of Mexicali, Baja California, for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and transferred him to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Both the narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP.

Recently, ports of entry along the California-Mexican border have experienced an upswing in the use of juveniles and young adults to smuggle narcotics as they enter the U.S.

“We continue to see juveniles and young adults being recruited and exploited by drug trafficking organizations, and are very concerned with the impact this has on our local community,â€