Border agents find $60,000 worth of meth hidden in booster seats

Officials say that a K-9 unit found almost 27 pounds of drugs during a stop in California

(CBP)

Border Patrol agents caught a man trying to allegedly smuggle $60,000 worth of methamphetamine drugs inside children’s car seats.

Agents stopped a vehicle carrying a man, his wife, and their four children near the Newton Azrak Border Patrol Station checkpoint in Murrieta, California.

Officials say that a CBP K-9 team called to the scene alerted handlers to the presence of drugs in the car. When three booster seats were cut open, officers reportedly found nearly 27 pounds of drugs hidden inside them.

“The driver was found in possession of 26.9 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $60,000,” CBP said in a statement.

The suspect, who authorities say is a US citizen, and the drugs were handed over to the Inland Crackdown Allied Taskforce for prosecution. The car was seized by Border Patrol while the woman and four children were released.

“Our agents continue to work around the clock to protect our communities,” said Aaron Heitke, Chief Patrol Agent at the San Diego Sector.

“Drug smugglers will use any means necessary to get their poison onto our streets. Nothing is sacred to them, not even family.”