Four men have been arrested and charged with federal drug trafficking charges after two and a half tons of methamphetamine was seized from a box truck that had just crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
The incident occurred on Thursday, July 7 in National City, California at approximately 4:55 p.m., when the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said a 20-foot commercial truck crossed the United States through the Otay Bureau. Commercial port of entry.
“Law enforcement observed the box truck as it was traveling at Hoover and 30th Street in National City,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in a statement. “Once there, officers observed the defendants unload dozens of cardboard boxes from the box truck and load them into a Dodge van.”
The four men, all from Tijuana, Mexico, ages 37 to 44, were arrested and detained. Upon further investigation, authorities said they discovered 148 packets of a substance located inside the seized cardboard boxes. The drug field tested positive for methamphetamine, and a total of more than 5,000 pounds of the drug was found in the truck in what authorities believe is one of the largest meth seizures ever in San Diego County .
“This is a significant achievement by our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Due to the stellar work of law enforcement officers, the government prevented more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from being distributed on our streets.”
The defendants in the case have been named as Rafael Alzua, 37, Mario Contreras and Galdrino Contreras, 41, and Ethgar Velazquez, 44. They have been charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and, if convicted, could face- se to a maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of 10 million dollars.
“This monumental seizure represents another victory against the drug cartels that fuel America’s addiction,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe. “Because of our strong partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, we will continue to disrupt the flow of cartel drugs into our cities.”
The street value of the more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
“I am grateful for the hard work, vigilance and continued dedication of our sheriff’s detectives, as well as our local, state and federal partners,” said Sheriff Anthony C. Ray. “Our partnership and collaboration allows us to share information that is absolutely critical to keeping drugs off our streets and holding drug dealers accountable.”
