Man arrested after smuggling meth and cocaine inside spare tire
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested a man suspected of smuggling methamphetamine and cocaine Tuesday morning.
The 61-year-old man driving a 2003 Ford Explorer approached the checkpoint around 6:45 a.m. Border Patrol agents sent the vehicle to secondary inspection where agents discovered 26 packages hidden inside the vehicle’s spare tire.
The contents of the packages tested positive for 20.51 pounds of methamphetamine worth $65,632 in street value and 17.69 pounds of cocaine worth $265,360 in street value.
The man was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency along with the vehicle and narcotics.
