(Woman arrested at the Downtown Port)….The woman was in line waiting to cross the border.

A canine alerted to her vehicle, a 2003 black Ford Explorer. The woman and the vehicle were referred to the secondary inspection area. Customs and Border Protection officers used x-ray equipment in the search of the vehicle. They discovered 14 wrapped packages of crystal methamphetamine hidden inside the spare tire in the vehicle’s trunk area. The narcotics weighed 41 pounds, with an estimated street value of $57, 400. The driver, a 29-year-old female US citizen and a resident of Indio, was placed under arrest for the alleged smuggling attempt. She was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents for further investigation. She was later booked into Imperial County Jail.