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I-19 checkpoint X-ray van reveals $265K in hard drugs
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I-19 checkpoint X-ray van reveals $265K in hard drugs

  • Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents remove methamphetamine hidden in the spare tire of a Ford pickup truck at the I-19 checkpoint Friday.
    CBPTucson Sector Border Patrol agents remove methamphetamine hidden in the spare tire of a Ford pickup truck at the I-19 checkpoint Friday.

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.

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