Wellton, Arizona - Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents working at the Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint seized over $135K in meth on Wednesday.
Late Wednesday morning, Wellton Station agents referred a gold 2001 Ford Explorer to the secondary inspection area following an alert by a Border Patrol canine. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed an anomaly in the gas tank. Upon further investigation, agents discovered 55 packages of methamphetamine hidden inside the gas tank. The narcotics had an approximate weight of 59 pounds and an estimated street value of $135,700. The driver, a U.S. citizen from Tucson, was arrested for transportation of a controlled substance.
In a second incident early Thursday morning, agents observed a blue 2002 Dodge Durango travelling through Dome Valley, northeast of Yuma. Agents performed a vehicle stop and discovered a U.S. citizen from Tucson transporting four illegal aliens from Mexico. The four illegal aliens were arrested for immigration violations.
Dome Valley is a route commonly used by smuggling organizations to attempt to evade apprehension by circumventing the Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint east of Yuma.