Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Indio Station arrested a man suspected of drug smuggling at the Highway 86 checkpoint after they discovered packages of methamphetamine hidden in the rocker panels of his vehicle earlier today.

The incident occurred at approximately 8 a.m., when a 28-year-old man approached the checkpoint driving a 2005 Ford Mustang.

A Border Patrol detection canine alerted to the vehicle.  Agents referred the man to the secondary inspection area for a closer examination.  After an intensive search, agents discovered 20 vacuum sealed bundles of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle’s rocker panels.

The methamphetamine had a combined weight of 27.53 pounds with an estimated street value of $275,000.

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

In fiscal year 2014, El Centro Sector seized more than 445 pounds of methamphetamine.