Nearly $300K Worth of Meth, Fentanyl Found Hidden Under Car's Floorboards

Border patrol agents recently arrested an individual after discovering nearly $300,000 worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills hidden in his car's floorboard.

According to a press release from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the incident happened last Friday, March 11, at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint in Salton City, California.

The recent seizure comes as CBP agents continue to intercept illicit narcotics from individuals attempting to enter the U.S. through the nation's different borders.

While CBP agents were working at the immigration checkpoint, they encountered a 28-year-old male driver in a blue 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe at around 3:45 a.m. local time. The driver was referred by a CBP agent for a secondary inspection while at the checkpoint, the press release said.

During the secondary inspection, a K-9 team, which is trained to smell narcotics, alerted CBP officers to the 28-year-old's vehicle.

"Agents inspected the interior of the vehicle and discovered narcotics concealed in the floorboard area," CBP said in the press release.

A further inspection of the car's floorboard area uncovered 40 packages that contained "a white crystal-like substance." The substance later tested positive for methamphetamine, CBP said.

Additionally, CBP officers also found seven packages of pills hidden in the floorboard area that later tested positive for fentanyl. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), "Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance that is similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent." In controlled areas, fentanyl is used as a synthetic opioid that is used to treat severe and chronic pain.

However, the DEA notes that "Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person's body size, tolerance and past usage."

"Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people," the DEA said.

According to CBP, the unidentified 28-year-old male driver was found to be in possession of 61.62 pounds of methamphetamine and 5.29 pounds of fentanyl pill. Combined, the packages had an estimated street value of $299,670, CBP said.

"The subject, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration," CBP said in the press release.

In a statement sent to Newsweek, Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dennis W. Harmon, U.S. Border Patrol, El Centro Sector, said, "The impact and devastation that fentanyl causes can be felt across this entire country. The men and women of the El Centro Sector work tirelessly to keep these dangerous drugs out of our local communities."

Over the past several months, CBP officers have made similar seizures, including one last week, where a brick of cocaine was found hidden inside a cookbook that was shipped in the mail.

In late February, CBP officers stationed in Texas intercepted a tractor trailer that was hiding more than $18 million worth of meth.

Update March 15, 2022, 12:14 p.m. ET: The story was updated to include a statement from CBP.