CBP officers at the downtown Calexico port of entry made significant drug seizures over the weekend and discovered a woman hidden in the dashboard of a small car.
At about 6:00 p.m. Friday officers encountered a 21-year old U.S. citizen , a resident of Mexicali , driving a small pick up truck. The driver and vehicle were referred to secondary inspection where the port's imaging system alerted officers to 56 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a compartment in the roof of the pickup trucks camper shell. The meth has an estimated value of about $90,000.
On Saturday , CBP referred the driver of an SUV to secondary inspection where a detector dog alerted to the undercarriage of the vehicle. A search led to the discovery of 17 pounds of heroin stashed inside the transmission of the SUV. the heroin has a value of $130,000. The driver was identified as a 34-year old Mexican citizen and legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Both drivers were arrested , turned over to Homeland Security investigations agents and then booked into Imperial County Jail.
At about 12:15 a.m. Monday a 30-year old man , a U.S. citizen , was sent to secondary inspection after a detector dog alerted to the vehicle. Investigating officers found a 43-year old woman , a Mexican citizen , was found hidden behind the dashboard of the Chevrolet Aveo. The driver was arrested and booked at Imperial county Jail awaiting arraignment on federal human smuggling charges.