Border Patrol agents conducting a vehicle stop earlier this week on Interstate 8 seized nearly 190 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $280,000, the federal agency announced Friday.
According to the Border Patrol, San Diego sector agents at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday stopped a blue pickup driven by a male U.S. citizen near the Buckman Springs exit. Agents noticed four large duffle bags in the truck bed and had a canine team conduct an "air sniff" that detected "the presence of narcotics," according to the agency.
An inspection found the duffle bags had clear packages "containing a crystal-like substance," which tests revealed was methamphetamine, according to the Border Patrol.
The 188 pounds of drugs had an estimated street value of $281,940, the Border Patrol said. Agents took the truck, and turned the driver and narcotics over to county sheriff's officials "for further investigation and processing."
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The Border Patrol didn't state what charges the unidentified driver would face or whether he was incarcerated. Chief Patrol Agent Patricia D. McGurk-Daniel said agents "will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our communities are safe and that these dangerous drugs stay off our streets."
According to the agency, San Diego agents during the 2023 fiscal year have seized over 1,800 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,100 pounds of cocaine, 111 pounds of heroin and 1,285 pounds of fentanyl.
The Tuesday drug bust was part of Operation Apollo, a federal, state and local partnership "working to combat the threat from fentanyl and other illicit synthetic narcotics," officials said.
