Smart Car Meth Bust: Driver Tried To Hide 75 Pounds Of Meth In This Tiny Car, CBP Says

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — This week in Orange County, U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling Interstate 5 seized 75 pounds of methamphetamine from the vehicle of a 25-year-old U.S. citizen on Wednesday evening.

"At around 8:45 p.m., agents initiated a vehicle stop on a 2008 Mercedes Smart car approximately three miles north of the Border Patrol checkpoint near San Clemente," a U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson said. "The 25-year-old male driver and his 60-year-old female passenger indicated they were in route to La Puente."

K-9 officers were brought in to inspect the vehicle. With a Smart Car, there wasn't much area to search.

"Agents conducted a K-9 sniff of the vehicle, which produced a positive alert," the Spokesperson said.

Searching the car, the agents discovered 75 packages of methamphetamine and two packages of an unknown substance inside the cargo area of the vehicle.

The bundles of methamphetamine weighed 75.51 pounds and have an estimated street value of $256,734. The other two packages weighed 4.96 pounds and were sent to a laboratory for identification.

The couple were arrested for narcotics smuggling and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the narcotics. The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance in corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.

U.S. Border Patrol Photos