U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release...
OCOTILLO, CA - Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Station seized 31 packages filled with methamphetamine from a juvenile this morning (July 28).
The incident occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m., when Border Patrol agents apprehended an illegal alien in the Yuha Desert. During the arrest, agents noticed two backpacks that were hidden in a bush near where the illegal alien was originally found.
The illegal alien denied ownership of the backpack when agents asked if they belonged to him.
A subsequent search revealed 31 plastic bags of a crystal like substance.
The illegal alien and the backpacks with the packages were transported to the El Centro Station for processing.
At the station agents conducted a criminal background investigation and medical screening. During the investigation, the illegal alien recanted his initial denial of ownership of the two backpacks and told agents that they were in fact his belongings. Agents tested the packages with a narcotics test kit, which yielded a positive result for the characteristics of methamphetamine.
The total weight of the methamphetamine was 29.9 pounds with an estimated street value of $67,275.
The male juvenile, an illegal alien from Mexico and the narcotic packages were turned over to the Imperial County Border Crime Suppression Team.
