Coachella Valley Agents Nab Teens With Meth Taped To Body

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA -- Coachella Valley agents last weekend caught two teens who allegedly had meth taped to their bodies. The U.S. Border Patrol reported the incident at 11:15 a.m. last Saturday at the Highway 86 checkpoint.

The teens were apparently in a commercial bus that was pulled into the inspection area. During a secondary inspection, an agent identified two female passengers who appeared very nervous and displayed abnormalities in the fitting of their clothing.

A Border Patrol canine team conducted a sniff of the bus and the canine alerted to the two teenagers. After questioning and a brief search, agents discovered 10 cellophane wrapped packages taped to the midsection of the two teenagers, officials said.

The packages were tested and proved positive for characteristics of methamphetamine.

Together, the two were transporting 20 packages of methamphetamine that weighed a total of 8.37 pounds with an estimated street value of $27,621.

“This is an example of the great efforts the drug smuggling organizations will take to traffic drugs in our country,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim. “These two teenagers were involved in committing a crime that can have dire circumstances.”

The two females, both 17-years-old, are United States citizens. Agents turned custody of the two teenagers to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

Since fiscal year 2018, which started Oct. 1, 2017, El Centro Sector has seized more than 450 pounds of methamphetamine.

--Photo via U.S. Border Patrol