Border Patrol Arrests Man With 222 Pounds Of Liquid Meth

A 36-year-old US citizen was caught trying to sneak hundreds of pounds of liquid methamphetamine across the Mexican border. Customs and Border Patrol caught the man trying to smuggle the drugs in the gas tank of his Chevy Silverado, according to a press release from the agency.

The New York Daily News reports that the man was trying to cross the Southern Border into Calexico when he was nabbed by police. He was smuggling the drugs in the gas tank of his 2004 Chevy Silverado pick-up, and was arrested Tuesday night and referred for an in-depth exception. A K-9 team sniffed down the truck and alerted officers toward the gas tank area, prompting them to act. There is no word on whether or not the man received bail.

The officers then discovered 222 pounds of liquid that had begun to crystalize inside the gas tank. The product is said to be valued at approximately $266,000, according to Customs and Border Protection officials. While gas-tank meth seizures are relatively common along the border, the sheer enormity of this particular incident is noteworthy.

“Drug trafficking organizations have one goal in mind, which is to get their product across,” Officer in Charge Sergio Beltran said in the press release. “Concealing narcotics in gas tanks is one tactic and by utilizing our layered enforcement, we were able to stop this before it plagued our communities.”

Still, the 222 pounds represent only a fraction of the volume of meth that has been seized along the Southern Border in just the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. CBP reports that since October 1, they’ve already seized 40,882 pounds of meth. As the opioid crisis continues to dominate the American drug addiction conversation, meth seizures, abuse and subsequent overdose continue to grow. Incidents of prescription benzo overdose also continue to soar.