The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California reported 122 border-related cases this week, with the following seizure ranking among the most significant. According to the Department of Justice, Manuel Salvador Hernández Pérez, a border-crossing card holder, was taken into custody on June 18 as he attempted to enter the United States through the San Ysidro port of entry.
During a routine inspection of his Ford F-150 pickup truck, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers uncovered 83 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in the hood, the spare tire, and the rear door. Hernández was immediately arrested and turned over to federal prosecutors.
Keep Reading: CBP Seizes Cocaine and Meth at San Ysidro Port of Entry
The Southern District of California, which encompasses the world’s busiest port of entry which is San Ysidro, ranks fourth nationwide in law enforcement activity, a distinction driven in large part by the high volume of cross-border crime, officials said.
Additional Border Enforcement Actions
In a separate maritime smuggling case, two men were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard west of Point Loma after attempting to bring 26 undocumented migrants into the country by sea. José Alonso Fernández-Zavala and Edgar Luna-Ochoa, identified as co-captains of a panga-style vessel, were allegedly charging Mexican and Guatemalan nationals between 4,000 and 17,000 pesos each for illegal transport to U.S. shores.
In addition, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended Ismael Molina-Ayala, a Mexican national previously deported from the United States, approximately three miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. He now faces charges for illegal re-entry.
Related: San Ysidro-to-Tijuana Crossings Speed Up Thanks to Elevated Viaduct, Official Says
The Department of Justice emphasized that all charges contained in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
