U.S. Border Patrol agents staffing a freeway checkpoint in eastern San Diego County arrested a man after finding more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the SUV he was driving, the agency reported Tuesday.
It happened around 2 p.m. Saturday when a 53-year-old man driving a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV pulled up to an inspection station on Interstate 8 in Pine Valley, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
A service dog alerted agents to inspect the SUV and they found 98 vacuum-sealed bags packed inside the front passenger door, the left and right rear doors, the left and right rear quarter-panels, the spare tire and the rear cargo door, officials said.
The bags contained 101.9 pounds of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $229,500, federal officials reported.
The methamphetamine and the suspect, a Mexican citizen whose name was not released, were turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The man's vehicle was seized by the Border Patrol.
