US CBP agents discover 450 pounds of liquid methamphetamine in fuel tank

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a 31-year-old male Mexican citizen suspected of smuggling 450 pounds of methamphetamine. The total value of the drugs seized is estimated to be $540,000.

On July 8, at approximately 2 p.m., agents stopped an orange Freightliner semitruck traveling northbound on Highway 86 near Coachella. A Border Patrol K-9 team trained to detect concealed people and illegal drugs alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. After the semitruck and driver were transported to the Indio Border Patrol Station, a more thorough inspection was conducted. Agents tested the liquid in the fuel tanks and confirmed the presence of methamphetamine.

“I tend to think large shipments of methamphetamine such as this pose a risk to Americans on several levels, including increases in crime and decreases in health and safety,” said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “Agents in the Premier Sector will continue to take the fight to smugglers of all types with one goal in mind: winning on behalf of the taxpayer.”

This seizure is the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on Oct. 26, 2023, in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.