An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. Stolen Vehicle & Narcotics Recovered at the Highway 86 Checkpoint

Stolen Vehicle & Narcotics Recovered at the Highway 86 Checkpoint

Release Date
Fri, 03/25/2022
Stolen Vehicle 1
El Centro Sector agents recovered a stolen vehicle
attempted to be driven through an immigration ​
checkpoint.

SALTON CITY, Calif.-El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested three United States citizens found in possession of a stolen vehicle and narcotics, attempting to drive through an immigration checkpoint Thursday morning.

At approximately 5:15 a.m., a red 2014 Nissan Xterra approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. The agent inspecting vehicles in the primary lanes referred the vehicle to secondary inspection.

Stolen Vehicle 2
A  Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the 
rear of the vehicle. Agents discovered  12.9  grams
of marijuana inside  of a backpack. ​

A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the rear of the vehicle. Agents inspected the interior of the vehicle and discovered a plastic bag containing a small amount of marijuana inside of a backpack.  Agents also discovered a small amount of a white crystal-like substance on person of one of the vehicle’s occupants attempting to be concealed in their pants pocket. The white crystal-like substance tested positive for methamphetamine. A record check of the vehicle came back to a positive match to a stolen vehicle reported out of Palm Springs, California.

The 37-year-old driver, and the other two occupants were found in possession of a stolen vehicle, 12.9 grams of marijuana with an estimated street value of $478.20 and 12.6 grams of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $377.10.

All occupants, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the California Highway Patrol.

Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection. For all news, information, and updates follow us on Twitter @CBPElCentro, @USBPChiefELC and Instagram.

Last Modified: Mar 25, 2022