EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A 6-year-old boy was riding with his mother as she attempted to smuggle more than 65 pounds of crystal meth, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.
Border Patrol agents said they found the drugs after a drug-sniffing dog alerted them to the rear door of the woman’s SUV on Tuesday at the Interstate 8 checkpoint in Pine Valley, California.
Aside from several plastic-wrapped packages in both rear-door panels, agents found more packages when they looked into abnormalities in the rear spare tire. In all, agents seized 67.8 pounds of crystal meth worth an estimated $179,000.
Agents seized the vehicle and arrested the driver, a 25-year-old Mexican national. Child Protective Services took custody of the child, while officials with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confiscated the drugs.
In a statement, San Diego Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison said, “(Border Patrol agents) are committed to keeping dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities and protecting innocent children from being used as pawns by criminal organizations.”.
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