I-19 checkpoint X-ray van reveals $265K in hard drugs
Border Patrol agents seized just over $265,000 worth of hard drugs Friday at the I-19 checkpoint after using an x-ray van to see inside two vehicles, authorities said.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents arrested the driver of a Ford truck after they found 20.8 pounds of methamphetamine worth $98,800 hidden inside the spare tire, a release from the agency said. The agents discovered the drugs after a drug-dog led agents to scan the pickup using a x-ray mounted in a van at the checkpoint.
Called a Z Backscatter Van, the system sends out rays of energy that penetrate the metal of a vehicle and creates a picture of what's inside. This allows agents to look inside the vehicle.
Later in the day, agents arrested a man traveling with a woman and two children after agents scanned their Saturn SUV and found 15 pounds of cocaine and six pounds of methamphetamine in a hidden compartment. Agents estimated the value of the cocaine at $138,040 and the methamphetamine at $28,262, the release said.