Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Stations Highway 86 checkpoint, arrested a man suspected of drug smuggling after packages of methamphetamine were discovered in a backpack and also hidden inside a vehicle compartment on Friday.

The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m., when a 26-year-old man approached the checkpoint driving a brown 2005 Ford Focus.

A Border Patrol canine team alerted to the vehicle during pre-primary inspection. Agents referred the man to secondary inspection for a closer examination of the vehicle.

Agents discovered a backpack in the rear seat of the vehicle that contained 14 packages of methamphetamine. Agent’s later discovered 16 additional packages hidden in the rear quarter panels of the vehicle.

The methamphetamine had a combined weight of 34.15 pounds with an estimated street value of $109,280.

The man, a United States citizen, the vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

Through July of physical year 2016, El Centro Sector has seized more than 1,198 pounds of methamphetamine.