JAMUL, Calif. — U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a 14-year-old and his three companions at the State Route 94 checkpoint on Monday evening. The youth had three bundles of crystal meth strapped to his body beneath his clothing.
The event began at approximately 10:30 p.m., on January 13, when a silver 2006 Volkswagen Jetta approached the checkpoint with four passengers. As agents questioned the occupants, a Border Patrol K-9 team performed a sniff of the vehicle, resulting in an alert. The agent then sent the driver to secondary inspection for further examination.
Once in secondary, the four occupants were removed from the vehicle. During the subsequent officer-safety pat down, agents detected packages around the waistline of one of the occupants. Believing the packages could be illicit narcotics, agents escorted the four people inside the checkpoint. There they found three bundles of methamphetamine beneath the clothing of the 14-year-old youth that weighed 3.31 pounds.
A K-9 performed a second sniff of the vehicle, which resulted in an alert near the rear of the vehicle. Agents searched and discovered three backpacks containing 49 plastic-wrapped packages. The additional packages contained 50.71 pounds of methamphetamine.
The 54.02 pounds of methamphetamine have an estimated street value of $102,000. Border Patrol agents later turned the narcotics and four subjects over to officers with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
The driver, a 34-year-old male U.S. citizen, was placed under arrest along with three juvenile males, which included a 16-year-old U.S. citizen and two Mexican nationals ages 14 and 16.
Since October 1, 2019, San Diego Sector has seized approximately 1,099 pounds of methamphetamine, which has an estimated street value of $2,088,100.
To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.