Cash Stuffed In Baby Wipes And Meth Hidden In Tire Uncovered By U.S. Border Patrol

U.S. Border Patrol agents thwarted two separate smuggling attempts this week near Southwest Riverside County, the agency reported today.

At approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday, Border Patrol agents stopped a 20-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2006 Mercury Montego, along with an 18-year-old female Mexican national passenger, on Interstate 15 north near Temecula. 

With the help of a Border Patrol K-9 team, agents discovered 17 vacuum-sealed bundles of methamphetamine inside of a large tire located in the trunk, according to U.S. Border Patrol agent Scott Simon.

“The narcotics weighed 18.74 pounds and had an estimated street value of $374,800,” Simon reported.

The suspected smuggler and narcotics were taken into custody and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration; the female passenger is being held in Department of Homeland Security custody pending removal proceedings, and the vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol, Simon reported.

A few hours earlier, U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a 35-year-old male U.S. citizen driving a 2009 Ford Econoline, along with a 36-year-old male Mexican national passenger, on the I-15 south near Rainbow. 

A Border Patrol K-9 team alerted agents and a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a total of $17,863 concealed inside packages of baby wipes, shop towels, and gloves, Simon reported. The men were booked into Vista County Jail on bulk cash smuggling charges; the currency and vehicle were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol, the agent reported.