U.S. Citizen Arrested in An Attempt to Smuggle Meth in Spare Tire

Border Patrol agents arrested a United States citizen attempting to smuggle 35 pounds of methamphetamine Thursday night. 

At approximately 9:10 p.m., agents conducted a vehicle stop on a 2018 Jeep Renegade on Interstate 10, half a mile east of the Golf Center Parkway exit. A Border Patrol K-9 detection team was dispatched to assist in the stop and alerted to the rear of the vehicle. 

During an inspection of the trunk area, agents identified a spare tire that was not the original and unusually larger than a standard spare tire for that vehicle. Further inspection of the tire revealed a single clear, large vacuum sealed bag containing a white crystallized substance concealed inside, a type of concealment method consistent with narcotic smuggling. 

The contents of the bag contained a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. The 26-year-old female driver in possession of 35 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $122,500 was placed under arrest.