Federal and native authorities in San Diego arrested three males within the US illegally – two from Mexico and one from El Salvador – after they allegedly transported practically 8,000 kilos of methamphetamine price greater than $5 million earlier this week.
The incident occurred on Monday round 7 p.m. throughout a joint narcotics investigation within the South Bay area, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced Thursday night.
SDCSO detectives and US Border Patrol brokers noticed three automobiles they believed had been being loaded with bundles of medication.
A federal criticism filed by the US Lawyer’s Workplace of the Southern District of California mentioned the automobiles had been being loaded in a parking zone on Otay Mesa Street.
Two of these automobiles had been pushed towards a motel in San Ysidro, whereas the third car went to a motel in Chula Vista, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. All three drivers had been finally arrested.
They had been recognized by the Justice Division as 27-year-old Erick Omar Arriola, of El Salvador, and Mexican nationals Eugenio Lizama, 35, and Baltazar Rodriguez Reyes, 49.
Arriola is a felon convicted of driving underneath the affect, battery of a partner and false imprisonment, the DOJ mentioned.
When authorities searched their automobiles, they discovered a complete of 61 bundles of methamphetamine, weighing greater than 7,700 kilos and valued at round $5.5 million.
“It was one of the biggest seizures of methamphetamine in 2025 in the Southern District of California, and the most significant so far by the new Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, which was recently established by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security at the request of President Trump,” the DOJ mentioned.All three males had been booked into the San Diego Central Jail and face prices associated to conspiracy, transportation and possession of managed substances for gross sales.
