BP drug seizure yields 10 pounds of meth

U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector seized more than 10 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested two suspected smugglers Friday at a highway checkpoint.

According to agent Robert Lowry, a spokesman for the Yuma Sector, agents assigned to the Blythe Station working the Highway 95 checkpoint referred a vehicle to secondary after a canine team alerted to it.

Lowry said the green Dodge Caravan minivan was occupied by two women who were both determined to be in the country illegally.

During the search of the vehicle, Lowry said, agents discovered several small packages inside the the vehicle's jack storage compartment.

“The vehicle was filled with so much excess stuff, such as boxes, luggage and other items, it was probably an attempt to discourage agents from searching it,” Lowry said. “As agents were unloading the vehicle, they looked inside the jack storage compartment and found the drugs.”

Agents tested the contents of the packages and identified the substance as methamphetamine.

The methamphetamine, which weighed 10.2 pounds, had an estimated street value of $244,800. It was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the driver and passenger.

To report suspicious activity, contact the Yuma Sector Border Patrol's toll free telephone number at 1-866-999-8727.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.