41 Pounds Of Meth Found Inside Mustang, Driver Arrested: Report

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a man on Wednesday morning found to be transporting 41 pounds of methamphetamine in his car.

At 11:30 a.m., Border Patrol agents noticed a man driving "erratically" on Interstate 5 near San Clemente.

"As agents attempted to catch up to the man, he rapidly cut across traffic, exited at a nearby rest stop, and parked," a spokesperson for the Border Patrol says.

At the rest stop, agents questioned the driver, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen.

"After receiving permission to search the 1998 red Ford Mustang agents conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle utilizing a service K-9," they reported. "The service K-9 alerted to the vehicle during the search."

Upon additional questioning, the driver told agents there were narcotics inside the vehicle.

"Agents arrested the man, and he was taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing," they said.

While at the station, agents continued to search the Mustang and found 30 suspicious packages in the car's trunk.

"Testing confirmed that the packages contained methamphetamine," they said.

The narcotics weighed 41.33 pounds and had an approximate street value of $41,330.

The driver and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the man faces Federal prosecution. Border Patrol agents have seized the vehicle.

San Diego Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke stated, “These drugs could have wreaked havoc on any American community. Thankfully, our agents prevented that from happening.”

Since Jan. 1, the San Diego Sector seized more than 625 pounds of cocaine, 479 pounds of methamphetamine, 62 pounds of heroin, and 252 pounds of fentanyl.

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) 498-990