CBP officers arrest man smuggling crystal meth inside a Mercedes

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Andrade Port of Entry intercepted 40 packages of crystal methamphetamine concealed inside a 2013 Mercedes Benz over the weekend.

A CBP officer encountered a 20-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a black 2013 Mercedes Benz C250 on Saturday, Sept. 23rd, at about 7:30 p.m.

The driver and vehicle were referred for a more in-depth examination.

During the intensive inspection, officers noticed something was different with the four doors of the vehicle.

Officers later extracted 40 wrapped packages of methamphetamine hidden inside the vehicle’s four doors. The weight of the narcotics was 50 pounds with a street value of approximately $70,000.

“CBP Officers are constantly vigilant even when presented with a vehicle that one would not expect to be utilized for smuggling narcotics, “said Andrade Port Director David Sarrasin .

The driver, a resident of Rialto, Calif., was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt and turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigation agents for further processing.

The driver was later transported to the Imperial County Jail where he currently awaits arraignment.

CBP seized the narcotics and vehicle.