Crime & Safety
13 Pounds of Meth Found Under Hood
A man is charged with trying to smuggle nearly a quarter million dollars worth of drugs through Temecula.
A man faces charges today of trying to smuggle 13 pounds of methamphetamine through Temecula.
The 28-year-old National City resident and U.S. citizen was arrested Wednesday morning and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Border Patrol caught the suspect going north on the Escondido (15) Freeway in a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup. He was driving erratically through the checkpoint, so customs agents pulled his car over, said Agent Michael Jimenez.
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When they questioned the suspect, his answers were inconsistent, so agents brought in a drug-sniffing dog.
The animal signaled it smelled drugs in the front of the truck. Agents searched the vehicle and found seven plastic bags of methamphetamine hidden under the manifold, Jimenez said.
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The drugs weighed 13.43 pounds and had a street value of $241,740. It was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the agent said.
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