3 Americans Arrested By Border Patrol At Salton City Checkpoint

SALTON CITY, CA — Three U.S. citizens were handed over to authorities Thursday morning after El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents discovered they were carrying drugs and were in a vehicle that was stolen out of Palm Springs, according to the agency.

The arrests were made shortly after 5:15 a.m. at the Highway 86 border patrol checkpoint in Salton City.

According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release, a border patrol agent flagged a red 2014 Nissan Xterra as it approached the checkpoint. With the help of a border patrol K-9 detection team, agents found a plastic bag containing a small amount of marijuana inside of a backpack. Agents also discovered one of the vehicle’s occupants was in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. In total, 12.9 grams of marijuana and 12.6 grams of methamphetamine were found, according to the news release.

A check on the vehicle showed it had been reported stolen out of Palm Springs, the news release stated.

The Nissan's 37-year-old driver and the two passengers, along with the vehicle and the drugs, were turned over to the California Highway Patrol, the federal agency said. The suspects' identities were not provided.